


Parental Problems

by Wonderful_Re



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AIM - Freeform, Bucky Barnes Is Trying His Best, Deaf Clint Barton, F/F, F/M, Feels, Fem Harley, Fluff, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Harley, Harley Is Back, Hydra, Lucky Is Underrated, M/M, Marvel typical drama, Minor Character Death, Natasha Is a Good Bro, Other, Pepper Potts is a saint, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Starky Humor, Steve is adorable, The Avengers - Freeform, Tony Stark Has A Heart, snarky humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 12:35:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5744071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderful_Re/pseuds/Wonderful_Re
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harley and Tony reconnect and Harley goes to visit Avengers Tower. Bad things happen, and Tony is protective over Harley.</p><p>                                     OR</p><p>  That one where Harley gets taken in by the Avengers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who Likes Galas Anyway

\--LOCATION: Kentucky--

Galas have pretty much always bored Tony Stark. They tested his absolute limits in patience with people of lower intellect or, hell, even people. And he had to wear a suit. Everyone talked too much or was just straight up obnoxious. Take a moment to think about that. If Tony Stark thinks you're obnoxious, then that's when you got issues. Tony prefers the term 'quirky' for himself, though. 

He would get particularly 'quirky' during these stupid galas. It started out small. With little acts of defiance to the rules or people present. Then would escalate to grand displays of just how he thought he was better than these people. He would show off what he knew, what he had, what he'd done. But if no one had kicked him out at that point, it boiled down to childish boredom and hyperactivity. He had probably taken his phone apart and reassembled it at least thirty times. Until Pepper had snapped.

Pepper Potts was his savior in these situations. Bless her soul. Somehow, she had it in her to stay here, and deal with all this crap. She had actually let Tony leave, so long as he stayed relatively in the area and didn't eat any food from a truck. Tony Stark was insufferable with food poisoning. The whining...it was so loud. And was back in time to pick her up, seeing as how he took the car. He agreed and headed out of the gala ball room like a bat out of hell. Thank God.

Now. Lets see. Usually, Tony would find a food truck with some kind of food he never heard of. Hm, well that wasn't an option. What even is there available to do in this boring as hell state? Who hosts galas in Kentucky anyway? Christ. There weren't even any food trucks. Besides one really questionable hot dog one. Last time he went to one of those, he had got food poisoning and was puking for a week and a half. 

Tony slid in his car people around here probably only dreamed of owning, or saw in magazines. He flipped down the car visor, messing his hair up a little bit. Sunglasses? Hmm...oh. He flipped open the glove box, pulling them out. Red ones. Nice. Tony took off the suit jacket, throwing it in the back and taking off the button up, plain black teeshirt underneath. He made a face at the suit pants. Doesn't match well. Maybe there was still those old jeans in the trunk? He slid back out of the car, walking around to the trunk and flipping it open, seeing them. Bam, bingo. 

Tony slid back in the car, quickly switching pants. I mean, sure the windows were tinted. But you cant be too careful. He chucked the other pair of pants into the back seat. Finally starting the car, he peeled out of the parking lot, heading to the main roads. Let's see, what kind of places to these people have? 

Fried chicken place? No, hard to eat with facial hair. Primarily, messy.  
Ice cream place? Its already chilly enough out here, he wished he had a sweatshirt. It was freaking raining. So no to that. 

Chinese? ...hm. Nah, he had that a few nights ago. 

A diner? Pancakes sound fantastic right now. When didn't pancakes sound fantastic? He pulled up on the curb, parking and hopping out of the car. Joey's Diner, hm? Well, let's see just how good you are, Joey. Tony smirked lightly, heading in. So this was a seat yourself joint? Yeah. Makes sense. Not every place was the Ritz, and Tony secretly loved that. But he'd sooner die than admit it. 

Tony headed to a booth in the back, glad that he didn't hear anyone in the somewhat crowded joint say anything about Tony Stark or Iron Man, thank you very much. He flipped open the menu on the table. Oh yeah, pancakes. And they were well stocked. Chocolate chip, strawberry, blueberry, at least three different nuts, bananas. It was impressive, really. But obviously, Tony would go with chocolate chip. Duh. Drink? Orange juice. 

Pancakes were great, and he barely ever had them. Usually he worked steady hours, or was otherwise busy saving the world. Hence the random choices of food trucks. When he was home, he'd just grab what was handy, or if he had time, would eat some eggs down on the communal meal floor. The other Avengers were more likely to frequent that area. 

Occasionally Pepper and him would go out to eat together, but even then, it wouldn't be at any old pancake shack. And that was a rare occurrence, going out. 

A waiter started walking up to him and he smiled, looking up at them, toe to head. Average height, young-- Tony made eye contact. He squinted for a moment. Where do we know that face, that flop of sandy-brown hair? Wait, no way. His eyes widened behind his sunglasses, but apart from that he kept a poker face. Because the person he was facing now was none other than a certain little kid from Tennessee, looking right back at Tony with a practiced poker face. 

Harley. 

Tonys mind flooded with roughly six thousand questions. 

Why was Harley in Kentucky? Wasn't the kid from Tennessee? Well, that could be easily explained by a move. Okay. Why is Harley working in a diner? Tony honestly had hope for this kid, expecting a genius out of him. 

There was silence for a moment or so, as they stared at each other. Trying to pick the next move. Harley pulled a small notebook out, and a pencil.

"What can I getcha, Mr. Stark?" A small smirk tugged at Harley's lips, looking at Tony as if he could see right through the mirror shades. 

"What? No. Excuse me. Wait a second. Why are you-? What brings you to-?" Tony sputtered out, eyebrows raised. Harley wore clunky boots, loose jeans, teeshirt with a flannel, apron pulled over with a name tag on it. It was also what almost everyone around here seemed to wear... Harley laughed, sliding in to the opposite side of the booth. 

"I see you're just as panicky as ever." 

"I--what--but--what?" What was even happening here? Why was Harley working here? Harley should most certainly not be working in a piece of crap diner. Last time Tony checked, this kid was on the right track to becoming a damn good engineer. "You--here--what?" 

Harley chuckled, but Tony knew that kind of chuckle. It was short, clipped. Hiding nerves. "Are you on medication yet?" 

Tony took a deep breath, calming his quick puffs of air. Now is not the time for a freak out session. "No no no. You're don't get to play that card. What is happening right now?"

Harley gave a sigh, looking at Tony, trying to gauge the situation to decide what to say. He chewed on his lip, running a hand through his hair. Still in the same cut since when he first met Tony. Full cheeks being the only thing from preventing the cut from looking stupid. Instead it just looked boyish and cute. 

"Hey, look." Tony sighed, leaning forward a little on the table. It was fairly obvious Harley was uncomfortable. And that was the last thing Tony wanted to cause. He owed this kid a lot. And he knew it too, reflected on it often. He had been waiting for word of Harley's high school graduation to pay full for any college this kid could want. "It's okay, kid. Just start by telling me why you're here? What lead to you leaving Bumfuck, Tennessee?" 

That got a little laugh out of Harley. The kid may be older now, but to Tony, he still looked like a kid. "Well, that's a long story."

"I call bullshit. Can't be that long. Even if it is, I've got until..." Tony checked his watch. It was 2 now, and he had to meet up with Pepper at 3. "I've got an hour. Let's not waist it, hm?" He smirked, but honestly really didn't want to waste the little time he had. 

"Okay, okay. Bossy. So, remember my dad?"

Tony nodded. "Left for the lotto, never came back. Yeah."

Now it was Harley's turn to nod. "Yeah. Except he did come back. This past summer. He tried to apologize to mom, but she wasn't buying the crap he was selling. Her words there, not mine. She was pissed. Screaming, yelling. The angriest I've ever seen her. But dad? He just sat there. And took it. He knew he was wrong." 

Tony listened closely, heart actually pinching at a little that Harley knew how this went down. Kid must've witnessed it. Part of Tony was getting on the defensive for that. Protective, even. 

"Eventually she comes off her anger. Breaks down crying..." Harley looked down at the table where he was resting his hands, sighing lightly. "She tells him no way in hell she'll take him back. But she does respect him for trying." He swallowed. "A month later, and all this boils down. Dad's staying in town. And he wants to see us. My sister and I."

"I owe that girl a watch," Tony chimed in. "But keep going."

"Well, we explained it to my sister. Well, mom did. She's only eight. She'll be nine in January. And she knew she wanted no part of dad. But I did. Originally, it was just to find out why the hell he left us, you know?" 

Tony swallowed and nodded. He knew. 

"But...I found out he's actually a good guy. And well, he eventually wanted to move here for a better chance at a job. He's... Well his skill set isn't that wide. But he's good at mechanics. So we hit it off a lot in the garage. I was already staying over with him a lot more than I was staying with Mom, so I moved with him. But I still visit her."

Tony nodded. "And how do you feel about all that?" 

Harley thought for a moment before speaking, playing with a piece of his short hair. Same hair cut as when he was freaking twelve. Tony made a mental note to try to get him to change that. 

"Honestly? It's great. I get to see mom whenever someone can make the drive there and I want to see her. I live with my father again. I mean, they don't live together, my parents. But beggars can't be choosers. And I have two parents again. It's fantastic." 

"Yeah, okay. I gather the whole sob story with a happy ending thing, and I'm glad it's worked out so well for you. But why are you working in a diner? I thought you were..." He didn't want to say smart but...

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But look, it's the best I could do, for the moment anyway. School sucks. I'm taking honors classes but...they don't really..." Harley vaguely gestured around.

"Get you," Tony finished. "Well, Kid, it takes great people or geniuses to understand people like you and me." 

"Exactly. So, what brings you to Kentucky?" 

Tony shrugged, mimicking Harley's vague gestures. "Gala thingy." 

"Which you don't seem to be at..?" Harley raised an eyebrow, small smirk. 

"Pepper's handling it. She's a saint. Either way, I'm pretty sure she would mind me talking to a guy from my past showing up randomly."

Harley coughed. "Girl. Technically."

Tony was quiet for a moment, gears spinning in his mind as he processed the tidbit of information. "Yeah? Girl?"

"Seems that way. But I'm not about to go flouncing around in a dress anytime soon."

"I won't expect you to, kid."

"And I'm not a kid, Old Man." 

Tony squinted. "Touché. Doesn't mean I'm going to stop calling you a kid though."

Harley gave a frustrated sigh. "Fine."

Tony grinned. He paused for a moment, considering how to word what he wanted to ask. He took a deep breath. "Hey, I'm feeling generous today, so how's about I do you a little favor?"

Harley hesitated. This guy had already done so much, when he left all that stuff... "Depends on what it is?"

"I'm going to get you out of here for the night. Sound good? We'll go up to New York, we'll tour the tower, you get to see some quality stuff, get treated like the genius you obviously are, everybody wins. Maybe get yourself a job better than this. And you get out of this piece of crap town for a while. So I have just one question. Whadda ya say, Kid?" Tony rushed out the words then raised an eyebrow. Harley blinked in surprise before lighting up with a grin. 

"I--yes! That sounds awesome!" 

"Perfect. I'll call Pepper. You call Mr. Scratch-Offs and clear it with him. Last thing I want is a kidnapping charge." Harley nodded, grinning and heading off to give Tony space to make his call. 

Pepper answered on the second ring. As usual. It was almost scary, how she always answered every single call on the second ring. 

"We're just finishing up here, Tony. Where are you?" 

"At the diner." He bit his lip, realizing he hadn't planned a pitch on how to ask to bring Harley along. 

"And how far away is that?" Her tone was already slightly hesitant, but also laced with the expectation of some sort of issue. 

"Not too far. But here's the thing, Pep--"

"Oh, god--"

"Oh, relax, honey. It's not that bad. I ran into a friend."

"A friend? Is Rhodey here for some reason?" 

"No, it's not Rhodey."

There was a moment of silence, followed by a light sigh. "Well, Tony, you don't have any other friends. Start explaining."

"It's him, Pep. Except not a he- I was wrong on that front back in the day. Anyways, the kid who saved my life. From Tennessee." That was all she needed to hear. 

"Oh my gosh. Tony, really? That's incredible. Small world, huh? I need to meet this kid." Bingo, she's sold. Tony grinned. The excitement in her voice was pretty adorable, too. 

"Well, isn't it your lucky day! I offered her a tour of the tower, and she accepted!" Tony tried to make that sound very exciting, to be safe. Just incase she was on the fence at all. 

There was a pause. "Tony, how old is she?"

"Fifteen, maybe sixteen." At least Tony thought kid was twelve when they first met four years ago so...yeah. 

"So young...did you clear it with her parents?" 

"Duh, Pepper. Sheesh."

"Okay, okay. Come pick me up when you're done?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart."

"See you soon." 

Tony hung up with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment your thoughts. Hope you enjoy! Check me out on tumblr at www.iiironman.tumblr.com
> 
> Have a nice day/night/life!


	2. Getting The Hell Out of Dodge

\--LOCATION: Kentucky--

Luckily, Harley's parents actually liked Tony Stark. They knew Harley looked up to the man as a hero, even if she kept quiet about it. She never bragged about knowing Iron Man. It wasn't a huge deal to her, and she didn't see Tony as godly as everyone else viewed the Avengers. Harley was aware how human he was from having seen him in some pretty intense lows. 

Her father said she could go as long as she swung by to get some clothes and other necessities, excitement evident in his voice. Harley thanked him and promised to swing by, just as excited. She couldn't deny: this was really REALLY cool. After talking to Dad, she called Mom. She was just as excited as Harley, if not, more so. She chuckled at her mothers rushed comments. Be careful, don't talk to strangers, stay with Tony, don't leave supervision. The like. 

"Ma, I'm almost sixteen. I can handle myself, jeez," She tried pointlessly. 

"I don't care how old you are, you're still my little girl." The love and affection was evident in her voice. Warm and kind. Harley's heart flooded with the warmth, smiling.

"I know, I know." She rolled her eyes when Tony strolled out with a grin, walking up to her.

"Told your boss The Avengers needed you, flashed some ID, we're golden," Tony said, ruffling Harley's hair. Harley scowled. "Sorry, but your hair is just so...ruffle worthy."

"Was that him?" Harley's moms voice brought her back to focus. 

"Yeah, Ma, it was."

"I want to talk to him." 

Harley held the phone out to Tony, who looked briefly horrified. 

"She wants to talk to you," Harley prompted.

His horror turned to disgust at the sight of the brick of a phone. "What? Why? Is that a Nokia?" His horror turned to disgust at the sight of the brick of a phone. 

Harley rolled her eyes with a huff. "Shut up and talk to her, drama queen. It's my mom, be respectful."

Tony sighed, taking the phone reluctantly. "Tony Stark."

"Mary Keener. You're taking my girl to New York? When will you have her back? She has school in the morning, it's a school night, you know? I know she's smart or whatever, but still. When will you have her back?"

Tony blinked in surprise at the rapid fire questions. So this is where Harley got it. Although, Mary had a very stern, protective voice, almost scary. 

"Well, I can have her back tomorrow night, if that works for you?" He offered. 

"So she has to miss a day of school?" Her voice was stern, but Tony still couldn't tell if she was serious or not. It was almost scary to ask. Everything about this women danced along the line of scary. Like, Natasha level scary. He looked at Harley in silence for a moment. 

"I-uh- she'll be learning stuff while she's with me but if you'd rather--" He was cut off by a warm laugh. 

"Relax, hun. I'm messin' with you. It's perfectly fine. Just make sure Harley gives me a ring tonight, okay?" Just like that, she went widow to warm. Tony was confused for a moment before realizing this was probably how most good mothers were. Nice people, but highly protective of their children. Almost demanding respect. 

"You got it, ma'am." He smiled.

She laughed warmly again. "Just Mary is fine. Put my girl back on, please?"

"You got it, Just Mary." He passed the phone back to Harley who rolled her eyes. Tony is witty as ever.

"Yeah Ma?" 

"You be a good girl, okay darlin'? Make sure to check in with me or your father. Edith will worry about her big sister, and I'll worry about my daughter. Have fun, and be safe. Go invent flyin' cars or whatever, sweetie. I love you very, very much." Her voice was full of affection and Harley smiled warmly. 

"Love you too, Ma. Gotta go now. I'll talk to you later." She hung up, smiling at the phone for a moment before shoving it in her pocket, looking at Tony who still looked vaguely nauseated. 

"Harley, you need to burn that brick for its own good. Christ, phones like that should no longer even be made." He shuddered. Harley chuckled. 

"Well, I'm not rich. So, both parentals cleared it, I just need to pick up some stuff back at the house." 

"And where is the house?" 

"116 Coal Drive." 

Tony nodded. "Okay. We'll do that, then scoop up Pepper, then off to the jet." He smiled wide, ruffling Harley's hair and leading the way to the car. Harley made futile attempts at flattening it while following along. Holy sports car. 

Harley looked at it with wide eyes and a grin as they approached. "Sick ride, Mr. Stark."

Tony chuckled, unlocking the car. "Tony is fine, Harley. Mr. Stark is my father." Was. Tony shook his head lightly. He really hated thinking of his parents accident. Especially before driving. "Anyways, back seat, short stop." He hopped in. 

Harley frowned, sliding . "I'm not short, I'm 5'5! And what are you? 5'9?"

5'9. Tony wished. Would an extra inch really make that much of a difference? Tony started the car. "Shut it, you." 

 

***

 

After an agonizing ten minutes of back seat driving to get to Harley's house, they finally made it. She hurried in, grabbed her duffle bag, and shoved in a pair of sweats, a couple tee shirts, a pair of jeans, a spare flannel and a sweatshirt, socks, and underwear. After putting in a tooth brush, Harley added in her tool box, just in case, and shoved in Mark III of the Potato Gun in the bag and zipped it shut, swinging it over her shoulder. 

She headed out to the living room, hugging her dad who pressed a kiss to her head. "Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Harley. Now go on, get outta here. Have fun." He pulled back with a smile and Harley smiled back, practically skipping out the door and back into the car. 

Tony peeled away and headed to the towns country club to pick up Pepper, who was standing in wait by the curb out front. Harley thought Pepper Potts was very pretty, and pretty much looked like a nice person. She was right too. 

Pepper smiled as the car pulled up. Tony reached across the center console, pushing the door open for her. Jeez, playing chauffeur was exhausting. He could hardly wait for Happy's vacation time to be up. Pepper slid in, placing a brief case gingerly on the floor, turning to see Harley immediately, fully dodging Tonys attempt at a kiss. 

"Hello! You must be Harley. It's an honor to meet you. I've heard so much about you!"

She extended a hand to Harley, who shook it immediately. 

"That's me, ma'am. It's an honor to meet you, too." She grinned, letting her hand fall. "You're a brilliant CEO." 

Pepper chuckled, buckling her seat belt. "You flatter me. I heard you're a brilliant inventor."

"Really? Thank you!"

Tony started off driving, listening to them hit it off. It was almost adorable, the small talk they exchanged. Eh, who was he kidding. It was extremely adorable. Pepper asked questions about school, what Harley liked to do. Harley almost sounded like she was surprised that Pepper cared so much. Tony understood that. 

He knew that it always surprised him when she asked about what he was working on, what it would do. Tony would go off on long tangents, explaining. He knew she didn't understand it, most of the time. But she smiled, nodded, and asked questions. Sure he couldn't talk science with her like he could with Banner, but she listened. Which was just as good.

The jet wasn't parked too far away, so they arrived shortly, two assistants waiting for them. They looked momentarily confused at Harley when she stepped out of the car, but as employees of Tony Stark, they adapted quickly. One assistant lead the way to the jet, the other heading off to take care of the car, Tony tossing him the keys as he passed. 

Harley was nearly buzzing with excitement as the boarded the jet.

"Is this seriously a private jet?" She asked Pepper, who was shrugging out of her blazer. 

"Crazy, huh? It flies just as smoothly as a plane, just ten times faster." She grinned, and an assistant offered to take Harley's bag. She allowed the women to do so. 

"Super crazy." 

"Only the best from Tony Stark." He grinned at them, leading the way to some seats with a table in the middle. They sat. Were these seats actually leather? Jesus... Harley felt somewhat out of place in her old clothes and messy hair. She could only imagine what the tower would be like. The joint was probably a palace. 

Pepper rolled her eyes, kissing his temple and running fingers through the side of his hair. "Yes, only the best." He melted at the contact and Harley smiled. They were cute. A lady came over, offering flutes of champagne to Tony and Pepper, who accepted then looked to Harley, appearing to be desperately confused. "What can I get you, Miss?" 

"Oh, uh, a soda is fine. If you have any?" 

The women smiled. "Of course we do." She disappeared from sight again and the pilot announced take off over the speakers. It was so smooth, you could barely even feel the take off. Tony and Pepper chatted about the gala together. Harley had a root beer in front of her after take off and listened to Tony and Pepper talk, occasionally offering input or taking Pepper's side in little arguments and giggling at Tony's dramatic display of betrayal. 

This was really nice, she thought as she watched them talk and sipped her drink as the Kentucky landscape disappeared beneath them. 

 

***  
\--LOCATION: Above New York--

A few hours later, the pilot announced they'd be landing in ten. Harley raised an impressed eyebrow. This thing really was fast. 

"So, hey, Tony?" 

He looked up from his phone at Harley. "Hm?"

"Is it true the Avengers all live in your tower?"

"Mostly they come and go. Thor is off in Asguard as of now. Barton and Romanoff come and go often undetected, but I'm pretty sure they're in as of now. Banner is in. Cap is...well no one will tell me why he refuses to leave Brooklyn in the past few months. All I have on that big spangly mess is one cryptic comment from Romanoff. Apparently he's 'with an important friend'. Which makes no sense because I'm pretty sure all his pals have bitten it." Tony frowned. "But the door is open to him at any time."

Pepper sighed. "Tony, it's none of your business what Steve is up to. Phil--"

"Agent, his name is Agent-"

"-Tells me he has ample amounts of security on him, and he is with a very dear friend right now."

Tony frowned. "Wait, is his near-and-dear the guy who was in the paper a handful of months ago? The one that attacked him and Romanoff in DC?"

Pepper pursed her lips. "Tony-"

"Guys, maybe we should all just-" Harley tried. 

"He is, isn't he! And you knew? Why didn't you tell me?"

Harley watched the two talk like a tennis match. She kept up with hero news, but only so much as what was in the public. Sure, she could hack into whatever was left of the SHIELD databases, but some part of her felt like that was scarred, in a weird way. "Guys, maybe we should all just-"

"Because it's not your business. Both Phil and Steve asked me not to tell you." She rubbed her temple, not looking at him. 

Tony looked seriously mad, but his anger seemed to be dissipating into sheer anxiety, by the looks of his quick breathing and shaking hands. 

"Wha-whose side are you on?! That guy is a trained assassin! He could hurt Steve! Why is Steve paling around with his own assailant? Does he have a death wish?! That guy killed my parents, I bet he's more then capable of killing Steve!"

"Tony!"

"Don't 'Tony' me! Steve's my friend!"

Harley stared, wide eyed. Pepper glanced up at Harley, seeming to remember he was there. 

"I don't want him getting his stupid brains blown out because he's hanging out with some killer! I don't care if he was his bestie back in the day!"

"Tony! Stop it, right now. We can talk about this later. You have a guest. You're terrifying her!"

Tony opened his mouth to speak, glancing over at Harley and closing his mouth, taking in how scared she looked. She blinked a few times, trying to seem less startled by just how...passionate Tony seemed to feel. 

"I'm sorry, Harley. Really." He blinked a few times to calm down as well.

She swallowed, nodding. "No, it's okay.."

He sighed. "No, it's not...I'm sorry. Pepper, you're right. It's not my business. I should trust Steve to know what he's doing." Pepper sighed, nodding and combing a hand through Tonys hair again. He leaned into the touch.

"I know you worry, Tony. You have to trust him though. Trust that he knows what he's doing, despite how badly you want to protect him. I know how protective you are of the team."

He sighed nodding. "They need someone to worry, it seems sometimes."

Pepper smiled. "They do need you. Don't worry. This is all going to be okay."

He nodded slowly. Harley smiled lightly. "Yeah, don't worry, Cap can handle himself. And if SHIELD, or whatever they call themselves now, thought otherwise, they'd probably forcefully separate the two and put a lot of protective detail on Steve. I'm thinking this is a trust the system time."

"That's a very good point, Harley." Pepper smiled and Tony did to, a bit shakily. 

"Yeah. You're a smart kid."

Harley shrugged with a smile.


	3. Touring The Tower

\--LOCATION: Manhattan, New York--

After the jet touched down and Harley insisted on calling her own bag, the three boarded a taxi that took them on a ten minute silent drive to the tower. Harley watched out the window, occasionally peaking at Tony and Pepper. Pepper kept running her hand through a content looking Tony's hair. Yep, they need to be married, Harley decided.

Once they arrived, Harley was barely containing her excitement. She was nearly bouncing in the seat, smiling as she looked out the window at the building that seemed so much taller than in the pictures. Pepper and Tony got out of the car, and Harley slid out afterwords, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Yeah, that was a very tall building. Enormous even. She had to tilt her head all the way back to see the top. 

"Hey, kid, done gawking yet? Or do you want to just stare some more?" Tony smirked, walking over to Harley. She frowned. 

"I'm not gawking, old man. But jesus.." She adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "How many floors is that?"

"Ninety-three." 

She looked at him to see if he was serious. He must be, judging by how smug he looked. If one looked up smug in the dictionary, they would see a picture of the face Tony was making right next to it. "That's...tall."

Pepper stepped closer, smiling. "Of course it is. But it's better on the inside. Let's go in now, yeah?" 

Harley nodded and followed the two into the tower lobby and up to a front desk where a young looking Asian receptionist and a few security guards were standing. 

"Hello, Patrice." Pepper smiled kindly. Harley waved awkwardly. "This is Harley Keener. She'll be staying for the night, and tomorrow during the day." 

Patrice nodded with a pleasant smile, showing off bleached white teeth. Not an ounce of judgment could be detected in her stare, despite Harley's far less than fancy clothes. "Welcome to the tower, Ms. Keener. Shall I add her to the facial recognition software, Ms. Potts?"

"That would be very helpful, thank you, Patrice." 

"Very well. Look up at the camera above the desk, Ms. Keener. Smile." 

Harley was never good at smiling on command, so she just bared her teeth and hoped for the best. Patrice turned to the computer to her left and typed something in. "All set, Ms. Keener. Please, enjoy your stay." She beamed. 

Harley nodded. "Thank you, Patrice." She offered a smile again. This chick was... Perky, to say the least. 

She turned to Tony, expecting him to lead the way and caught him squinting at the receptionist with a somewhat irritated glare and then headed off to the elevator. Once the three were inside, he groaned. 

"Tony, I wish you would be more kind to Patrice." 

"I can't! She pisses me off! I'm not the only one who doesn't like her. Remember Agent Hill? She was down right malicious to her." 

Pepper sighed, rubbing her temple. "Yes, I remember. That was a mess. She made her cry."

Harley nodded. Okay, Patrice may be weirdly nice, but making her cry is harsh. Tony leaned over to whisper something to Harley. 

"She deserved it though. So anyways. Floors one through fifty nine are all personal offices. Not my offices. But someones. SHIELD, Stark Industries, etc. We don't need to stop for that. Sixty to sixty one are human resources and public relations. Also boring." 

The elevator stopped, dinging. The doors slid open, revealing what looked half like a cafeteria and have like the worlds fanciest kitchen with a lounge area to the side.

"Level sixty two: kitchen, cafeteria, and Edward Allen memorial recreation area," Pepper offered with a smile. Harley nodded. The doors slid shut and the elevator went up a bit more before stopping again. 

Tony lead the way out to a floor that looked like...well, a giant living room. 

Half the floor was carpet, the other half a dark wood. There was a gigantic couch up against one of the walls, a few love seats and chairs scattered around. An air hockey table, speakers, something that looked like a huge ipad against one wall, and speakers spread along the walls too. Three book shelves, fully stocked. A flat screen across from the giant couch. Even a fireplace and what looked like q mini bar in the corner. Was that a door to an indoor pool? Jesus. It was...wow. 

Tony smirked at her impressed expression. "Nice, huh? This is the main living area. Where the other Avengers and I hang out. Well.. If we hung out, it would be here."

Harley furrowed her eyebrows, looking at him. "Wait, you guys don't hang out?"

Tony scratched the back of his neck, swallowing and looking away. He let his hand fall. "Well, it's complicated. Romanoff is in and out, most of the time shes here I don't even know it. She usually only comes when Legolas does, which is now and then. He has a place in Bed Stuy to look after and he is a active agent, so, missions and stuff. Same with Romanoff. Theyre sorta a package deal. Thor goes to Asguard a lot or is with his lady friend, so I rarely see him. You already know about Mr. USA. Banner recently moved in here, actually. I work with him a lot, or at least see him around. He socializes though. Despite them all having a private floor waiting for them, mot many show." Tony sighed, shaking his head. Pepper ran a hand through his hair. 

"They'll come around," Harley thought she heard her mumble. Then at a normal volume, "Harley, may I take your bag up to the guest floor?" Pepper decided to give them some alone time. 

Harley nodded with a smile, holding it out. Guest floor. Wow. "Thank you." Pepper took it, smiled back and headed to the elevator on the opposite side of the room. 

Harley turned to Tony. "What now?" 

That question seemed to give Tony a second wave of energy. "Now we move on to the next interesting floor."

He lead the way to the elevator, hitting a button for the next floor. It only took a moment to make it there, doors opening. Tony held them open. "This is the screening room."

There was rows of seats and a huge screen on one wall. It looked like a movie theater. Harley nodded, impressed once again. "Just like a real movie theater."

Tony scoffed. "Except the floor isn't sticky, it isn't germ infested, and the seats are velvet." He punched another button. The next time the doors opened, they revealed a gym, with a ton of work out equipment. All the usual things, plus a sauna, punching bags, a sparring ring, and a yoga room. 

"Now for the next floor up from this one." He hit the next button. "Don't worry if you don't remember where everything is, JARVIS will help you find whatever your little heart desires."

"Oh, I remember JARVIS." She smiled.

"I bet he remembers you. Tell her, J." Tony smiled back.

"I remember, sir. I do help you are doing well. I will happy to help at a moments notice, Ms. Keener." The familiar British accent said, and Harley grinned. He sounded the same as he had all those years ago. 

"I am doing well, thank you."

"JARVIS can hear you from anywhere in the tower, so if you need anything at all, just ask him. He can even patch you through to a video feed or video chat to anyone in the tower or patch you through to anyone else." 

Harley beamed. God, that sounds awesome. "Alright!"

Tony punched in another button and the elevator was off again. "Levels sixty five through sixty eight are beta testing. One of the rooms is virtually indestructible. Hell, that room is Hulk proof. That's the coolest one. Want to check it out?" 

Harley nodded eagerly and Tony grinned.

"I knew you would." The doors opened, and the lights to a nearly empty room turned on. The walls were metal. Tony lead the way in. "Everything in here is a mock vibranium adamantium alloy. Metal like-"

"Cap's shield. I know." Harley smirked, knocking on the wall. It barely made a sound and, yeah, that was definitely solid. Tony ruffled Harley's hair as revenge. 

"Interrupting little brat."

Harley rolled her eyes, flattening her hair down. "What's next?" 

Tony thought for a moment. What time was it? It was already past what timenormal people would eat dinner. Normal as in not Tony Stark who ate on probably the most erratic schedule out of everyone else he knew. Maybe he should get dinner? "Depends. You hungry? Want to get food before we finish or after?" 

Harley shrugged. "I can wait. Besides, this is super cool." 

That earned a grin from Tony and he lead the way back to the elevator. "Good. Because the best floors are next. Sixty nine through seventy four. The labs." Tony punched in for the sixty ninth floor, and they headed up to it, doors sliding open to reveal what looked exactly like a chemistry lab you'd see in a movie. They stepped off the elevator and Harley's jaw dropped nearly to the floor. It was...wow. 

There where rows of desks along one wall, with all kinds of equipment on them. Some of it was cleaned and emptied out, some of it with liquids of various colors. The back wall was pretty much entirely cabinets, one open, filled with notebooks and what looked like a stack of pen boxes. 

The other side of the room had a screen infused in the wall with a dark glossy black screen. There was a speaker on the wall next to it, playing soft music. Ballroom stuff, from the sounds of it. The calm melody sounded like the theme song on his mom's show, Downtown Abbey. 

There was a desk against the wall too, with a man sitting at it looking up from a notebook he was previously working in. Bruce Banner. Holy crap. It's actually Bruce Banner. Holy crap. Harley grinned, staring at the man who stood up, smiling lightly and glancing to Tony. 

"Tony, who's this?" His voice was quiet and relaxed.

"This, is Harley Keener. Remember that kid from Tennessee I told you about? Oh, wait, you were probably napping at that point, even the second time I told you." Tony squinted, frowning as he walked up and placed a hand on Harley's shoulder.

Bruce sighed, putting his hands on his hips and giving Tony a look. "I did listen the second time, thank you very much." He walked closer to stand in front of the two. 

"Sure you did, Banner. If you don't love me, just say so." Tony pouted dramatically. Bruce smiled, rolling his eyes, turning his attention to Harley and away from Tony's theatrics. 

"It's nice to meet you, Harley." He offered a handshake, which Harley quickly accepted. 

"It's an honor to meet you, Dr. Banner. I'm a big fan of your work." Bruce smiled warmly, tilting his head to the side and looking at Harley.

"What?" 

"Oh, nothing, that's just almost verbatim to Tony's greeting to me when I first met him. And just Bruce is fine, thank you." He let the handshake drop.

"Really? Huh, how 'bout that!" Harley nodded, pushing her bangs back from her forehead. "And 'Just Bruce' it is, then." 

Bruce chuckled. "Oh, great. A sense of humor like him too." Harley laughed as well. 

 

Tony found himself genuinely smiling without even being aware of it as he looked at Harley, fondness in his eyes. He shook his head, turning his attention back to Bruce, dropping his hand from Harley's shoulder. She's a good kid. 

"Please, even my jokes aren't that corny." 

Tony gasped in mock offense. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, old man." 

Tony rolled his eyes, grinning. "So, Banner. Did you eat yet?" Bruce shook his head, hands resting on his hips again.

"No. Why?" 

"Harley and I are finishing up the grand tour and then getting some food at the cafeteria. It's Chinese pizza night. Probably pizza. Should I have JARVIS notify for you when it's time?" 

Bruce nodded. "I'd like that."

Harley watched them talk, wide eyed. Dinner with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Is this really not a dream? 

 

"See you then." Tony smiled and headed back to the elevator again. "The next floor is my shared lab with Bruce. It's where we science together." He winked at Harley as the doors closed. 

Harley rolled her eyes. "Please." 

Tony chuckled and the elevator opened and he lead the way in. This lab was a bit like Bruce's, seeming to have a somewhat similar layout with a bit of a twist. There was more big glossy screens along the walls, speakers in the corners instead. The work tables were a blue tinted glass, floors a shiny black. The lighting was the perfect level of fluorescence. 

Harley gawked. These labs were...wow. They were so beautiful. Everything any scientist could want in life. She looked around with a grin. "I could live in a room like this."

"I know, right? Me too. Pepper and Bruce won't let me, unfortunately." He frowned. 

"Yeah, yeah." She walked up to a work table, brushing her fingers along some vials. "Do I ever get to play with this stuff?" 

"Yeah, sure. But we got a tour to finish, then dinner. Next up I would offer suits and engineering, but unfortunately that floor is under matinence after a...unfortunate explosion this morning." He frowned.

"Oh my god, you actually blew up a suit." She laughed, shaking her head. 

"What! No! I-- Okay, it wasn't on purpose. Let's just respect the fact I still have my eyebrows." He crossed his arms, huffing. 

"Okay, okay. Eyebrows respected. What's next, then?"

"The best floor in the building! My workshop!" They went into the elevator up a little more and the doors opened to reveal the messiest lab Harley had ever seen. Papers were everywhere, covering several work tables and pinned the wall. Some on the floor. Scattered parts were around the room as well. Oil smears on some papers and even an oil stain along the wall. 

Fancy layout, sure. But a catastrophic mess. Ultimately, Harley knew if she had a lab it would eventually end up looking like a hurricane blew through it too. She sighed, shaking her head. 

"I honestly didn't know what to expect. Did something explode in here too?"

Tony looked at her with mock horror. "Excuse me? No it did not! I have a delicate system and this is my lay out." He smirked.

Harley crossed her arms and squinted at him before eventually smirking herself. "I'm just kidding." She let her arms fall to her sides. "Really, Tony. This whole tour had meant the world to me. It's by far, like, the best day of my entire life-"

"Alright, alright." Tony put his hands up, palms open. "Please, save the sap." He lit up with a trade mark toothy grin, the real kind, causing his eyes crinkle at the corners. His dark eyes twinkled and he swung an arm around Harley's shoulders. "It's the least I can do, kid." She smiled back just as genuinely. 

He let his arm fall, reaching forward to punch in an elevator number, and just l that the moment was gone. For a second there, Harley saw the same thing in that smile she'd see in her fathers smile. The mix of affection and pride that just seems so...fatherly.

"So, there's also a gym here. Equipment designed to withstand super powered soldiers strength levels. Complete with pool and sauna. I don't think you'd be too interested in that though, right?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Right." She nodded. Gym wasn't exactly...her thing. She didn't like running needlessly, and chasing a ball around a field was too simple to hold any of her interest for long. She was strong and could pack a punch when required. But it wasn't really her area.

He nodded. "Thought so. Hungry?" 

"Starving."

"Good thing too, the cafeteria is having Chinese and pizza night. Pizza, right?"

"Obviously." 

Tony grinned again, eyes flickering up to the ceiling. "JARVIS?"

"Dr. Banner has been informed and is currently making his way to the cafeteria."

"Ah, thank you. Are any of the others coming?" There was a nearly undetectable undertone of hope in his voice. 

"Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff are currently present in the building. I can not guarantee they will attend. Ms. Potts sends her love, but unfortunately can not make it to dinner. Work has piled up while you were gone, Sir."

The excitement that flickered across his features at just the mention of Natasha and Clint being present was heart warming. Harley smiled. 

"Can I expect Ms. Potts in our room tonight?"

"She has informed me to say yes, but no, and I quote, funny business, Mr. Stark."

Harley snorted, laughing. Tony momentarily pouted before the elevator doors opened, back on the cafeteria floor. "Thank you, J. Shush, you." He lead the way out and to the cafeteria. "No laughing at me that's totally going to be a rule if you're staying here-"

And in that moment, Harley nearly pissed herself. From what must be an open vent above them, a man jumped out, landing in a crouch on the floor in front of them. He popped into a standing position with a grin. Tony cried out, jumping what was probably a clear foot into the air. He clutched a hand over his heart. Harley took a deep breath and looked at the man with wide eyes.

Oh my god, it's Hawkeye. Clint Barton. Holy crap. Okay, Harley, stay cool. This is only the third Avenger you've met today. Is this even real life?! 

"Barton! What have I said about climbing in the god damn vents and popping out, you sneaky little-" Tony started, voice definitely raised a pitch or two. 

"It's an honor to meet you, Hawkeye. Or do you prefer Clint Barton? Either way, you're super cool. I'm Harley Keener, big fan." She grinned, offering a handshake. Tony looked at her with the upmost betrayal. 

Clint smiled, a surprised grin. Was this a joke? Was she honestly a big fan? He gave her a quick, firm hand shake.   
"Barton or Clint is fine when I'm not on the field. And that's definitely a new one. I don't hear stuff like that every day. Nice to meet you too, Harley. Guess Natasha is right, Stark is bringing someone around. Oh, speak of the Devil-" Natasha slowly walked up behind Tony, grabbing a shoulder suddenly. 

In a monotone voice, she let out a almost self-satisfied "Boo."

Tony gasped, whirling around. She smirked and walked around him to stand next to Clint. "Devil? Really? Seems a bit harsh." He chuckled at Tony's frustrated pout. Harley laughed as well. 

"My own people. Angling against me. Wow. Low blow, guys. Low blow." Tony paused for a moment before joining in the laugh too. 

They headed into the cafeteria, Dr. Banner joining a few moments later. They headed up to where the food was, Tony leading Harley's way. He demonstrated picking up a plate and putting some pizza onto it. He then grabbed a soda from a little iced compartment. It was oddly similar long to a school cafeteria, just fancier. Harley did the same, following him. 

He lead the way to a table in the corner, Bruce sitting there in wait. He smiled lightly and a bit shyly at Harley. She returned the gesture and sat across to him, next to Tony. 

"How long will you be staying, Harley?" Bruce asked, offering another smile.

Harley popped the tab on the soda can. "Until tomorrow, I think. Right, Tony?" 

"That's right, kiddo. I'd love for you to stay longer, but I don't think your parents will be too into that idea." 

Harley chuckled. "Nah, I don't think so. Besides, school is still a thing. The day you came I had just taken my finals. It's the turn of the semester, and all."

Tony smiled. "Yeah? I remember high school. God, I think all of my teachers hated me."

"Tony, you probably tortured them," Bruce offered.

"I did not torture them! I just had a little fun, is all. Messed with the tech, dismantled stuff. Okay, so there was this one time where I had this Physics teacher who was like...the grumpiest old man ever."

"Oh god, what did you do to him?" Harley asked, preparing for a long story of the antics he had pulled.

"I'm glad you ask." Tony smirked and launched into a detailed story, describing the events. 

***

Dinner went well. Tony had one fun story after another about all the ways he messed around back in high school. Even Bruce had a few stories. The three sat at the table talking until long after everyone else had gone. Tony wrapped up a story of the time he took apart a teachers chair when Harley yawned. She immediately regretted it, because his head turned to her, eyes softening at the sight. 

"I'm sorry, keep going."

"No, I was done, don't you worry, kid. The boring tales are over," Tony teased.

"They're not boring!" 

"Sure they're not. Yet here you are, yawning--"

"Tony, what time is it?" Bruce interrupted, barely biting back his own yawn. 

Tony pushed up his sleeve to check his watch. "Jesus, it's just past midnight."

"Then don't you think it's time you bring Harley up to where she'll be staying? I'm sure she's tired."

"What? Me? Nah." She ran a hand through her hair, stretching.

"Besides, I'm turning in anyway." Bruce stood up, stretching as well.

"Alright, alright sleepy heads. Let's head up. C'mon, kid." Harley stood up, and the trio headed to the elevator together. 

"Eighty six. That's the guest floor. Got that?" Tony punched in the buttons and Harley leaned on the wall giving a sleepy nod. 

"Yessir." She smiled. The doors opened, moments later, and Tony lead Harley in. She turned to Bruce before the doors closed. "Have a good night, Dr. Banner." He smiled, pushing up his glasses. 

"You too, Harley. It was a pleasure to meet you." 

"Same to you." 

Bruce smiled and nodded, doors sliding shut. Harley looked around. Wow. This was pretty nice for what Tony called a guest floor. It was nicer than the suite she stayed in on a family vacation, a year ago.

He lead the way around, showing her where the bathroom was, where the bedroom was. Her bag sat on the foot of the bed. 

"So, if you need anything, just tell JARVIS and we'll get it settled." He sighed, smiling. "And that's that. G'night, kid." 

"Night, old man." Tony rolled his eyes and ruffled Harley's hair, heading out. Harley smiled and watched him go before digging out some sleep clothes and heading to the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. She headed back to the bedroom, hefting the bag over to the closet by the bed and dropping it on the floor in front of it.

Harley picked up her phone and pulled back the sheets to the bed, climbing in. She dialed her mom's phone number. She answered on the third ring.

"Hello, sweetheart. How's everything up there? Your sister's already in bed, but she told me to tell you she loves you." 

Harley smiled. "I love her too. And everything up here is...well, amazing. It's so incredible, Mom. I met four of the six Avengers today."

"That's brilliant, Harley! I'm so happy for you!" She grinned.

"Thanks. It's so great. This is so fun. Thanks for letting me go."

"You're welcome, honey. Hey, listen, someone's at the door. I gotta take care of that. It's late, sweetie. Get some rest."

"Alright, I will."

"I love you. Mmmmmwah!" 

She hummed happily. "Love you too, Mom." 

The line clicked off, and Harley hummed, dialing up her dad....

No answer. Huh.

Well, it was very late. He probable turned in. She shot him a text, explaining everything was going well, and that she loved him. Harley yawned, stretching and placed her phone on the night stand. She slid down, head resting on the soft pillows before realizing the lights were still on and huffing, sitting up. 

JARVIS's voice disrupted the silence. "Ms. Keener, would you like for me to shut the lights off?" 

"You can?" Well, of course he could. "Thank you, JARVIS." She laid back down, humming happily. Harley quickly fell asleep, content smile on her lips.


	4. Always Gold

\--LOCATION: Somewhere in Brooklyn--

 

Life with Bucky back was...well...it was living again for Steve. A life, compared to the empty loneliness that plagued his existence after his impromptu melting in the twenty first century. Albeit, he had Peggy. She remembered him. At first. But slowly, more and more of her memory began to fade. It was currently to the point where he would scare her, she wouldn't react, or she'd call in a nurse to remove the strange man from her room. That was heartbreaking. 

But now he had Bucky back. And through Bucky's return, he had made two new friends. Natasha and Sam. And they were good people, really. But he was focused on having Bucky back. No matter how much that alone would hurt.

It certainly had it's rough patches. At first, it was like living with the empty shell of his best friend. Bucky would go through a mere five activities a day. Wake up, eat, shower, eat, sleep. Even getting that pattern was a struggle.

The time in between, he spent blankly staring at walls, as if waiting for something. He'd asked if there was a mission once or twice. Steve shook his head, and tried not to sound too heart broken when he told Bucky he didn't have to do missions anymore. He could be a person again. But its not saying it that broke Steve's heart. 

It was the confusion and anger he'd see Bucky go through afterwards. Bucky felt like he didn't have a purpose anymore. He didn't know how to just be a person. Bucky needed a purpose. A reason to exist. But all he had was this man he barely knew. At least not how the man said he should.

Even getting Bucky to eat solid food was rough at first, he wasn't used to stomaching any more than the protein rich drinks he got with HYDRA. The first few weeks, just eating a piece of plain toast would be enough to send Bucky running to the bathroom.

Steve would follow him, kneel with him, and hold Bucky's jagged cut chin length hair that he refused to let Steve cut back, rubbing his back and telling him it was going to be okay, they'd work it out, they'd figure it out together. Steve would blink back tears as Bucky retched everything out of his stomach, down to the bile and until nothing else would come up. He'd wonder if this was how Bucky felt all those years ago when he'd take care of a skinny, sickly Steve.

His heart hurt when he would lean forward and notice Bucky's blank expression as it was finally over. He'd immediately go back to being a numb shell. He'd shrug off Steve's hand and go off somewhere to curl up in a little ball. Steve would bring him water only to find it untouched hours later next to his near catatonic friend. 

Steve went out one day and bought protein shake mix. He'd let Bucky drink that. Slowly, they'd add a bit of food, and less protein shake until they waned him off it. He still remembered Bucky's grin the first time he ate a full meal, spaghetti, without having to puke it all back up. He saw something in that smile that he hadn't seen yet. Usually, the best he'd see was indifference. But in that smile, he saw hope. 

He'd dug his fancy camera phone do-dad from Tony out of his pocket and snapped a picture of that beautiful smile and hugged Bucky tightly with a few tears slipping out. 

Slowly, very slowly, the Bucky Steve knew started to shine through. There was a witty comment while watching tv one night, nagging Steve about not wearing a coat out when 'its winter, damn it, I don't care if you're a super soldier or the queen of England, you wear a goddamn coat', even calling a girl they saw on a walk pretty. 

Steve had taken a picture for each one, his phone had become a collection of Bucky's turning points. The pictures would shortly end up re drawn through out Steve's sketch book, snap shots of his life with Bucky included. Pictures of Bucky sitting on the counter eating cereal, relaxed on the couch, sleeping peacefully.

Bucky began to forget things less, he remembered his name, Steve's name, and despite being wary of his surroundings, Steve thought he could even see Bucky beginning to trust he was safe.

Bucky began to be able to ask for what he wanted again, too. And that was fantastic. Steve knew that was a good sign, he even called Sam to tell him about it, and even cried a bit with joy the first time Bucky said 'no'. These things would seem so normal, commonplace, even mundane in a normal life. But this was Bucky. And for him, these things were huge feats. Gigantic signs that he was getting better.

Natasha or Sam would visit, Bucky would socialize. One time Natasha brought Clint around. Him and Bucky didn't talk much during the visit, a silent understanding between them. The two drank beer together and were calm. Steve could tell Clint wanted to start conversations, but he didn't want to rush Bucky. But Bucky was doing so well.

He would tease Steve with Sam, drink beer with Steve and Sam and watch baseball. But sometimes him and Natasha would go out. Steve would wait on baited breath for their return, and try not to feel jealous. He would let them have their time. Steve knew there was a past between them, somehow. Besides, Bucky always came back, thats all that mattered.

Everything wasn't perfect though, not yet. Steve knew not to take good days for granted, no matter how good Bucky's been that day.

There was the nightmares. Horrible, horrible nightmares. Bucky and Steve shared a bed, out of necessity. Steve may have a large pay from being an Avenger and all, but a great deal of it went to charity. He lived on a modest amount, and couldn't afford a huge place. Bucky understood that meant sharing a bed. He did grow up in the depression. The money was starting to run thin anyway. They were on their sixth apartment, after five evictions. 

The evictions were in part at the fault of the nightmares. When Bucky woke up from his nightmares, or during them, things were known to get broken. He'd accidentally send a fist through the wall while asleep. That counted for two evictions. Or he'd wake up, and go completely ballistic. That was terrifying. Steve would watch, wide eyed and terrified as Bucky would throw chairs, punch the wall, break the table. He couldn't tell if Bucky was angry, scared, or just having some sort of mental lapse. He'd try to stop Bucky, but he'd end up taking a solid punch to the jaw. With a metal arm. He'd whirl around and fall. That would get Bucky's attention though.

He'd snap out of it, drop to his knees, and pull Steve close. Bucky would apologize over and over, holding onto him just a bit too tightly. He'd beg for forgiveness, beg not to be punished. Steve would pet Bucky's hair and choke back tears as he promised he would never punish Bucky. Never. That was one eviction. 

The last two? They were after numerous noise complaints. Bucky had stopped lashing out in his sleep or after waking up. 

Steve would wake up to his friend screaming. Begging for mercy. Threatening someone's life, telling them there was nothing they could do to stop their death and swearing he'd be the end of them. And go on to explain all the detailed ways he'd torture them and then watch the light fade from their eyes, because these were his orders. He'd wake up to Bucky screaming like he was in agonizing pain. Begging not to be put back on ice. Begging not to be touched like that. All with tears streaming down his face.

He would comfort Bucky when he needed it, or let him be alone when he asked, and went off to shower. They didn't talk about the dreams.

Steve knew this was their last chance. He didn't have enough money, and his name had made the shitlist for most building owners in Brooklyn. Just getting into this place took begging. It took a good deal of money to buy the apartment building owners silence each time they found out about his "crazy assassin friend". The tabloids would eat that up, and make Bucky a laughing stock. Steve needed to protect Bucky.

He knew if he could just keep Bucky from having nightmares, keep Bucky safe from those terrors he saw in his sleep, that he wouldn't have to worry. But it never worked. 

Sam said Bucky needed to get help. Speak to someone about all this, not him. Not Steve either. They were too close to the situation. He'd brought it up to Bucky gently, but it didn't go over well. Bucky had sworn he didn't need no head doctor tryin' to get him to talk feelings. Steve sighed. So that was that. The building owner had told Steve a few days prior, one more complaint and they were out. He understood. That didn't make it any less difficult.

Today had been a really good day, though. He had brought Bucky out for a walk, out to eat, and then home to make dinner together and watch movies, some of the modern day comedies. Bucky had been laughing and talking and having a great time. It was all going so well. They turned in at a decent our and Bucky had even fallen asleep with a smile on his face.   
However, a few hours later, he woke up to Bucky screaming for him. Steve took a deep breath before beginning the process of waking Bucky up, holding him close, and calming him down.

"I'm right here, Buck. I'm not going anywhere." He rubbed Bucky's back and combed fingers through his hair as he curled closer into Steve's chest. He felt the dampness of tears and the rustle of Bucky nodding.

"I know...I know." His voice was horse, and he took a few deep breaths. "Suppose we're gettin' booted, huh? God, Steve, I'm so sorry..."

He ran his fingers through Bucky's hair. "Shh, hey, no. You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault, lamb. Not your fault." 

Bucky sighed, yawning. "Where we gonna go?" 

Steve smiled at how young Bucky sounded. "You let me worry about that. You're tired, go to sleep, Bucky." He kissed Bucky's forehead, as that was the standard after Bucky had a nightmare. I

Bucky nodded again. "M'kay. Night, punk."

Steve felt Bucky's body go lax against his. "Sleep tight, jerk." He slid out of the bed, and into the living room, closing the door to the bedroom as he went, not wanting to wake Bucky up. A look at the clock reported it was nearly six in the morning, despite the dark sky. Steve sighed, knowing who he had to call. He retrieved his phone off the counter, pulling up Tony's contact. 

His thumb hovered over it for a moment, trying to make sure this was really a good idea. Tony might be all gloating and I told you so's if he spoke to him. Steve really didn't have it in him to deal with that right now. He pulled up Pepper's contact instead, hitting call. 

Momentarily, he felt guilty. But Bucky shouldn't have to hear him making this call. He knew that if he did, he'd be beating himself up for a week. She'd probably still be asleep...

Surprisingly, Pepper answered on the second ring, sounding quite awake, too. "Hello, Steve. Are you okay?" 

"Hi, Pepper. I'm, well, I don't mean to wake you-"

"Oh, don't worry. I was just finishing up my morning yoga, Steve. What can I do for you?" Her voice sounded kind. Warm, and welcoming. It was a marvel how she dealt with Tony.

"Well, as you probably know, Bucky and I have been living in Brooklyn, all around, but...well... I don't know where else to turn, Pepper. We're being evicted for the sixth time, no where else will take us-"

"Say no more, Steve. Tony and I would be happy to have you two here. There's a floor open for you whenever you're ready. Can I expect you today?" 

Steve sighed with relief. "Yes, thank you, thank you so much." 

"Don't mention it. I'll make sure the floor is prepared, and I'll see you around..."

"Ten? I can have us out by ten. I'll get to packing right away and get some food in Bucky and we'll be there. But, I should warn you..."

"What is it?" 

"I don't know how well Bucky will adjust to new people...and he has these terrible nightmares.." 

"Steve, don't worry. Tony has all the floors sound proof. He has pretty terrible nightmares himself, along with a few other residents here. That will be nothing new. You two are welcome no matter what, anyway. Our guest would be honored to meet you two as well. I'll break the news to Tony now. You get yourselves ready and we'll be expecting you." 

Steve felt gratitude swelling in his chest. "Thank you so much, Pepper. I owe you one." 

"Nonsense. See you at ten, Steve. 'Bye."

"See you then." He hung up and got to work on the preparations for the move.


	5. Fire

\--LOCATION: The Tower--

Pepper arrived back to her shared floor with Tony briefly after her call with Steve, finding him already awake, as usual, at the table playing with his phone. He looked up at her when she entered with that boyish grin she loved so much. She walked over, running a hand through his hair and kissing his forehead. 

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Someone slept in today." Sure, it was early enough, but this was Tony. Even after his anxiety had mellowed out a bit, he still wasn't one for healthy sleeping habits. But he seemed to be in a good mood today, and Pepper wasn't looking forward to shattering it with the news. Maybe she'd get lucky and he'd be an adult about it. 

"Guess I did, huh?"

Pepper hummed happily, sitting across from him. "So, Tony."

He squinted, suddenly aware she was about to say something he wouldn't like. "What is it?"

She sighed. "Okay, okay. So I just got off the phone with Steve."

Tony's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh, calm down. Steve and James have no where else to stay, Tony."

He sighed over dramatically, standing up and walking away a few steps before turning back to face her. "So you asked them here. Really, Pepper?"

She stood up as well, walking to stand in front of him. "What else was I supposed to do, Tony? Tell them to hit up Brooklyn's shelters? They need somewhere to stay!"

"Why here?!" 

"Because we already have a floor prepared? Why are you being so uncooperative? You like Steve! Need I dig out the pictures of your halloween costumes as a child? The one of you opening your Captain America action figure?"

Tony shuddered. "No, Pep, god no! Why do you still have those?!" 

"Insurance! You like Steve, don't you?" She already knew he did, but it was a complicated friendship. One moment Tony and Steve would be at each others throats, saying terribly nasty things. And the next second, it was like they shared a brain.

"'Course I like Capsicle!" He crossed his arms, jaw set.

"You'd say he's your friend, right? You want him to be your friend?" She demanded, hands on her hips. Tony knew he was going to lose a fight when Pepper's hands went to her hips. 

"Yes, of course I do! But this isn't about him. It's about his psycho gun-toting boyf--"

"It's about James. And James is one Steve's dearest friends, Tony. You know that, don't you?" 

He nodded, her point sinking in.

"You don't even know the situation, Tony. You never met James. As Steve's friend, don't you think the right thing to do is be there for him when he needs you, unconditionally? That's what, Tony?"

Tony sighed, defeated and uncrossed his arms. "That's being a good friend. I know." 

"So, what are we going to do?" 

"Be nice. Be polite. To Steve and his assassin pal." Tony felt somewhat bad. Pepper was right. He wasn't being a decent person or friend by shutting Steve and Bucky out.

She smiled, proud and stepped forward to kiss his cheek. "That's right, Tony." She pulled him into a hug. "Oh, and you know how Natasha gets mad when people call her an assassin in what's supposed to be non-work related talks?"

"Mad? She twisted my nipple and kicked me in the back of the knee!"

"Exactly. So I don't think you should give James any nicknames just yet. Not until you know how he feels." 

Tony sighed again, nodding. "You're right. Okay. I won't. Does everyone else know they're coming?" 

"Dr. Banner does, Natasha already knew when I contacted her, obviously, and she told Clint." 

"They're cute. Clint and Natasha. Creepy little spy couple." He hummed, happy that they seemed happy together.

Pepper pulled back with a smile. "Let's shower, hm?" Tony smirked eagerly, taking her hand and leading her to the shower.

 

****

\--LOCATION: Steve and Bucky's apartment in Brooklyn--

Steve got everything packed up fairly quick. Him and Bucky still didn't have all that much. Through the Depression and military, they both grew to be used to having the bare minimum needed for survival. He had their bags packed, save for an outfit for Bucky to change into. His favorite jeans, teeshirt, hoodie, cap, and sneakers. And a glove for the metal hand. Steve knew Bucky liked them because he could conceal himself in them, blend into the back ground.

Normally, Steve wouldn't encourage that, but he had no idea what today had in store for his friend. Steve hoped for the best but was prepared for at the least Bucky to shut down and at worst a breakdown. He sent up a prayer that the secure clothes would make Bucky feel better. 

All the food that was non perishable saved and the rest in a bag to drop at the homeless shelter on the way to the tower. He sighed, looking over everything once more before heading in to wake Bucky up, surprised to find the bed already empty. He went to the small bathroom door, hearing the sink running, and knocked.

"You okay, Buck?" 

Bucky surprised him again by opening the door. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, and damp hair. 

"Mornin', Stevie." He grinned. It nearly knocked the air out of Steve's lungs. This morning, Bucky seemed almost eerily like how he did before it all. Before HYDRA, before the war. It was amazing and terrifying all at once. Very exhilarating. Steve wanted to cry and hug Bucky, press kisses all over his forehead. 

This was another big step for Bucky. Morning after particularly nasty nightmares, he was usually all folded in on himself, unable to even manage eye contact. Yet here he was, grinning warmly at Steve. It was moments like this where Steve was reminded of how much he loved Bucky. He would give Bucky the world just to see that smile. On good days, he'd consider it. Allow himself to imagine something more between him and Bucky, like they almost had back in the day. They had never crossed the boundary into a full relationship, but Steve cherished the hazy memories of a few kisses. At the time, crossing that boundary wasn't an option. There were laws. But nowadays, those laws were changed. But it probably was best not to interrupt Bucky's recovery with that. It'd be selfish.

"Good morning, Bucky." Steve smiled warmly at Bucky. "I see you got all showered up."

"Mhm! Figured we were moving today, so I should look presentable for the next place. I'm gonna shave after this." He hummed contently, running a hand along his stubble taking out the electric razor Steve bought. He tried not to be hurt by how he wasn't trusted with blades, but at the same time he was grateful. "Are we going to stay with Sam?" 

Ah, there it is. "No...we're not." 

Bucky looked at Steve, confused. "Where, then? I know we're on a shitlist for everywhere else in Brooklyn 'cause of me..?"

"Well, you know how I told you about the tower in Manhattan? That the other Avengers stay at?" At Bucky's cautious nod, he continued. "Well, I talked to Pepper Potts. You remember her? The CEO of Stark Industries?" Bucky nodded again. "Well she said we could come stay there. They have a whole floor for us. Pepper says they'd be happy to have us."

Bucky gritted his teeth, dropping eye contact and looking down at his feet, arms crossing. Right over left, thumb running along the silver metal plating. "Tony Stark's building. And they want me there."

"Of course they do."

"Howard and Maria Stark. They were his parents." The servos in Bucky's arm hummed loudly when he dropped it to his the side. "I know that. Because I'm the one who killed them. I caused their accident. I murdered them. But of course you know that. You read my file. 'Tasha told me. Why the hell would they want /me/ there?"

Steve winced. Since Natasha had dug up that file for him on Bucky, he knew a majority of Bucky's missions. And he knew Tony's parents were one of them. Bucky swallowed hard, gritting his teeth again and looking down. Steve knew that was Bucky's trying-not-to-cry tell. He wrapped his arms around Bucky, pulling him close. 

"Shh, 's gonna be okay." His old Brooklyn accent started slipping out. Bucky seemed to still have his when he was in good moods, but Steve's was usually undetectable. "Pepper says she's going to work it out. It's all going to work out." Bucky hugged Steve back reluctantly. The poor thing was shaking a bit.

"What if she can't? What if they-" he didn't finish. He didn't have to. Steve knew what he meant. What if they don't like him. What if it's bad. What if they hold Bucky's past against Steve. "There's no way Tony wants me there. I'm the assassin who killed his parents." Bucky pulled back, stubborn set to his jaw. 

"Hey. No. None of that." Steve's eyes were soft, sad, and something else Bucky couldn't quite detect. Sometimes Bucky couldn't tell if Steve was his baby sitter, his best friend, or someone who was once his best friend now just plagued with survivors guilt. Deep down, he knew that last one wasn't true. The first two, he didn't know about. 

His life had always been confusing. Even before the war...back when he just wanted to tell Steve how he felt. How he still feels. But he just...couldn't do that to Steve. Not then, when it was illegal, and not now, when any girl was willing to throw themselves at Steve. He deserved better than Bucky could offer on that front. He sighed, looking Steve in the eye again.

Steve smiled and clapped a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Just be yourself. Show them how great you can be, and I just know they'll love you. How could anyone not love ya, Buck?" He ruffled Bucky's hair, letting his hand fall. "'Sides, Natasha and Clint will be there. So you'll already have two friends. Plus me. And Pepper is excited to meet you. And if anyone gives ya any trouble, I'll drag 'em out to the alley and fight 'em."

Bucky chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Okay, okay, you sap." 

Steve beamed. "Alright, no finish up. I gotta get some breakfast ready for you and we'll head out. I laid your favorite outfit out for you. Hurry up, now. I don't wanna be late." Bucky nodded, grinning again.

 

*

 

Harley woke up the next morning, calmly. The sunlight shown through her floor, revealing it to be even more beautiful in the light. She yawned and stretched, sliding out of bed. She checked her phone. No missed messages. No texts. Weird...maybe dad wasn't up yet. Who knows. Cracking her neck, she ducked into the bathroom, going through her morning routine. 

Once she was dressed and her hair was combed, she headed back out. 

"Ms. Keener, Mr. Stark wishes for me to inform you that they're waiting for you downstairs. Captain Rogers and Sargent Barnes have arrived earlier this morning, and should be making it into the cafeteria for greetings as soon as they're settled in," JARVIS said. 

Harley gasped. "Captain America and Bucky Barnes?!"

"That's correct."

She grinned, bouncing to the elevator excitedly. "This is the best! Tell Mr. Stark I'm on my way down." Harley took the elevator to the cafeteria, unable to stop smiling as she headed towards where Tony was sitting and chatting with Bruce. They didn't look like they ate yet, if the lack of trays was anything to go off.

Bruce looked up, noticing her, and smiled. "Good morning, Harley."

"Morning, kid," Tony said, smiling a somewhat strained smile.

"Hey. Sorry to keep you guys waiting." 

"Oh, it's alright," Bruce hummed, smiling again. For the hulk, this guy was pretty mellow, Harley noted.

"Food time?" Tony said hopefully, standing up. Harley nodded and they headed to the food layout. 

"So...JARVIS told me Captain America and, uh," Was it polite to call him Bucky Barnes? That seemed too personal. "Sargent Barnes are here?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed. "They are."

"And how are we feeling about that?" She lowered her voice, unaware if Bruce knew yet. If there's one thing common with all Southerners, it's that they all have their best attempts at manners. 

"Angsty, I'm sure," Bruce said, small smirk. 

Tony huffed. "No, no. Really, it's going to be fine. I'm not up in arms over it at all. Seriously. I'm trying to be a good friend here."

Bruce made a mild surprised noise. Harley smiled lightly. "Well...that's good. I'm excited to meet them."

Tony smiled over his shoulder at Harley and they all finished getting food, heading back to the table from last night. "They should be down soon enough, kid. You missed Natasha and Clint though, they already are off to target practice or something of the like."

Harley nodded, taking a sip of her orange juice. 

"Man, this egg sandwich looks heavenly." Tony picked it up, getting ready to bite it.

"Here they are now." Bruce gestured over Harley's shoulder with his fork. Tony lowered his sandwich. She whirled around quickly, almost choking on her orange juice. She looked at the two, wide eyed. She stood up.

Steve smiled warmly, Bucky a few steps behind him, and walked up to the table. "You must be Harley, right? Pepper told me about you. Please. Don't stand on my account. I have a feeling you already know but I'm Steve Rogers, and this is my friend, Bucky Barnes." 

"It's an honor to meet you, Sir. You too, Sargent Barnes. You're both s-so awesome!" She winced at her stuttering. Not every day you meet your nations heroes. She offered an hand shake, smiling. Steve took it. 

"Please, call me Steve. We're not on the field here, Harley. Steve is fine."

She grinned. "Steve, then." She broke the hand shake, looking over to Bucky, holding out her hand. He looked back at her, head tilted. He looked surprised and some what confused at the gesture. Harley held her hand out a bit more, smiling warmly. She knew the man who stood before her had been through so much. He was a hero, in her books.

Bucky took her hand, smiling lightly and shook her hand. "Bucky. You can call me Bucky. Nice to meet ya, Harley." 

"Bucky it is. You too, Bucky." 

"Kid, Cap, Tobor, sit down, huh? You're making me nervous." Tony smiled, gesturing to open seats at the table. The three sat down, Harley first, Steve, and then Bucky. "Welcome to the tower, boys. It's great to have you." Tony's smile aimed at Steve actually looked genuine. Steve gave Bucky a look that clearly displayed I-Told-You-So vibes.

"Thank you for having us," Bucky said, smiling again. 

"I'm Bruce Banner. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bucky." Bucky looked over to the nicely dressed man in glasses. He almost hadn't noticed him.

"You too, Steve told me a lot about you. From what I hear, you're very smart. And your work is highly commendable." He looked to Tony, who was just about to bite into his sandwich. "You too." Tony blinked in surprise, lowering his sandwich again. Bruce smiled kindly, nodding. 

"And your service to our country is highly commendable as well, Bucky."

Bucky grinned, blinking in surprise. Sometimes he forgot about the good stuff he had done. Steve he glanced to Steve who was smiling encouragingly at him. "Thank you very much."

Harley bit into her sandwich and Tony made an attempt to do the same. Just then, Pepper came rushing into the room and up to the table. Tony dropped it, momentarily irritated before standing up. She rushed over to the table. "Tony."

"Pepper? I thought you had some stuff at the office?" 

"No, well, yeah. I did but when I was in the lobby talking to Patrice, a women walked in followed by a man. She introduced herself as Agent May," She rushed out. Bucky squirmed a bit in his seat. Agents. That's usually not good. He had a bad feeling about this... Harley watched with interest, along with Steve and Bruce. 

"And the guy?" Tony prompted. 

"Phil. Tony, it was Phil."

The table was silent. Even Bruce looked surprised. 

"Phil? As in, Agent?" Tony looked almost like he didn't believe it. Phil almost never visited, he hadn't seen him in quite a while. Pepper nodded. 

"Yeah, Tony, him. They said the weirdest thing, too. I rushed all the way up to tell you before them. They're on their way up though." She was still talking rapidly, clearly rattled.

Tony put his hands on her shoulders and Harley noticed Steve put a hand on Bucky's left hand, one that was gripping the arm of the chair a bit too tightly. It loosened immediately and Steve let his hand fall. "What? Pepper, what did they say?" 

She looked over to Harley, panic visible in her eyes. "They want to talk to you." Now it was Harley's turn to be confused. The elevator doors on the other side of the room opened and a women in black and a man in a suit, Agent May and Coulson, stepped in. 

May took in a shocked breath upon seeing the young girl. "Coulson, she's a kid," she mumbled.

He nodded. "It's always worse when it's a kid," he mumbled back. They walked up to the table. 

"Harley Keener?" The women asked. Harley nodded. "I'm Agent May. This is Agent-" 

"Coulson. Yeah. I know." She stood up, crossing her arms nervously. "Uh, what's this all about?" Tony walked to stand next to Harley, hand on her shoulder. "I didn't do anything wrong." 

May and Coulson looked at each other, and Coulson stepped closer. "Harley, I'm afraid we have some bad news." Tony's hand tightened on her shoulder. 

Harley nodded, gesturing for him to continue. He looked really serious. And there was definitely pity in his eyes. She gulped and bit her lip.

"This morning, there were two calls made in from two different locations in to local police stations this morning. Neighbors called in reporting house fires with identical MOs. Harley, I'm so sorry. Your mother, father, and little sister... It was too late to save anyone." Harley's stomach twisted and she felt her face pale. Her hand went over her mouth and she looked down. 

That couldn't be true. All of them. Gone. Just like that. She shook her head, everything swirling out of focus. This trip had been a total blast. Just ten minutes ago she was on top of the world. But now...they were gone. They were all gone.

"What the hell, Agent? That's not funny. You don't joke about stuff like that." Tony scowled. 

"Tony.." Pepper stepped closer. 

"He wouldn't joke about something like that," May cut in. 

"Then, why are you even the one telling us? Regular house fires aren't your business." Tony was almost yelling. But Harley couldn't pay attention. Everything faded to the back ground, mind going to memories of her home and her parents and her sister. They couldn't just be gone. Just like that? No way...

"That's just the thing. It wasn't a regular house fire. We have reason to believe it wasn't an accident," Coulson continued. That made Harley snap to attention. 

"No, really? My entire family dying in one day wasn't just a freaky coincidence? I hadn't realized." She blinked quickly, eyes burning. "Losing my family in one day. A crazy freaking accident, huh?!" Coulson pursed his lips for a moment. 

She's just a kid. His thoughts wondered to Daisy. To Simmons. To Fitz. They were all just kids. They didn't deserve this life. They deserved happiness. It was times like these where Coulson was reminded how cruel this life was. Times like this where it seemed all life did was take and take and take, no matter who would be the victim. No matter how much they didn't deserve it.

He felt everyone's eyes on him, and took a deep breath. "Our team analyzed the scene. It showed similar damage and heat signatures to other places where Project Extremis has gone haywire in the past. From what we know, you've been directly involved with Extremis before?"

"Yeah, the people who get cooked from the inside out. I know." She wiped at her eyes, which were welling up with tears. 

"That's pretty much correct. It seems that that's what we're dealing with here. Do you happen to know if there was any signs of Extremis in your area?"

"I-um-not since I met Tony in Tennessee. But- uh- I don't know?" Harley scratched the back of her head, dragging a hand along her face. 

"Uh, Agent? I think you need to take victim sensitivity training again? This is obviously a huge shock to her! You're being way to damn blunt!"

They both looked at each other and down. Harley shook her head, frowning and swallowing back tears. It wasn't the time for breaking down yet.

Coulson sighed and shared a look with May. Steve picked up on it and chimed in, "But you know something else, don't you?" He rose, standing behind Harley. Bucky watched, chewing hard on the inside of his lip.

May nodded and took one more glance at Harley, feeling an ache in her heart. She was so young. And here they were, bluntly informing her of her shattered world. She watched as Harley's lip quivered and she bit down on it to stop it from doing so. "Coulson, go prep the bus. Give me your phone, and I'll show her." He knew better than to argue with May when she gave orders like that. He may be the highest rank on the bus, but he respected May's calls when she made them. Years of partnership would do that. 

Coulson nodded, pulled his phone from his pocket, pulled up the picture, and handed it to May before heading off.

May held up the phone for the group to see. "This," May gestured to the logo burned into the grass. "Was burned onto your mother and fathers lawn." Steve inhaled sharply, eyes darting to Bucky.

Harley looked at it, taking a shaky breath. "What's that supposed to be?" 

Bucky stood up shakily, stepping around to see the picture. His eyes darkened at the sight of it. Harley looked to him, noticing his reaction. Steve put his hands on Bucky's shoulders. He took a deep breath, meeting Harley's gaze. The group was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

"That's Hydra's logo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment your thoughts. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!   
> Visit me on tumblr at www.iiironman.tumblr.com


	6. Land of Living

The group was silent for a few moments longer before Harley nodded. "I read about them in the papers...back when SHIELD fell." She didn't really want to talk about this right now. Her chest hurt. Her bones hurt. She wanted to scream. To cry. To make the universe give her parents back. To make it take her instead. But Harley knew she needed to focus. She couldn't afford a break down. Not yet. She swallowed hard, setting her jaw and squaring her shoulders. "And the old stuff, about Captain America."

Tony looked at Harley. Her voice seemed...different. More monotone. But God, he understood. He knew just what it felt like, just what she was feeling. Tony's parents may have kept him at arms length, but he knew what it felt like when the men in uniform came to him at boarding school with the news. He knew what that blow felt like. Even if he didn't feel it long after he was told, opting to drown it with the strongest drink he could find. Even now, he was itching for something strong. But Harley didn't have that option.

"So, Hydra has it's hands on Extremis or they're working together," Pepper supplied, biting her lip quickly after. 

"It would seem that way," May said, looking over the small group, analyzing and planning how to deliver the second part of what needed to be said. 

Stark was in a protective stance with Harley, Potts close by. That would be good for the girl, May thought. Harley was an orphan now, and would need someone to look after her. She looked over to Banner, who looked like his mind was racing, looking for solutions, a way to fix or help an impossible situation. She knew that look, she'd seen it on her teams faces so many times. Hell, she knew that feeling from back in Baharain. She looked to Steve who was looking at Harley, eyes soft and filled with sadness, eyebrows furrowed. Lastly, she looked to Barnes. Rogers' hands on his shoulders, thumbs rubbing softly.

She wasn't sure all of what the situation there was. May hadn't been privy to that information. All she knew was that Sargent Barnes had been through some dark things, with Hydra. That they used him as a puppet. She also knew that he was technically a fugitive, that the public just hadn't realized yet, much less the higher ups, but she'd heard the chatter around SHIELD. His jaw was clamped, arms crosses tightly. He was white as a sheet and looked like he might be sick. His blue eyes empty, classic thousand-yard stare.

What was happening was horrible. Extremely dangerous for them, for SHIELD, for the citizens.

The group was silent, knowing everything was changing. Slowly, they all looked up to her for what to do next. She took a small breath, getting ready to take the initiative. "Obviously, no one's safe here."

They all nodded, Tony huffing a noise of agreement.

"We need to get everyone out of here. Go to safe houses. They'll know we're leaving, but they won't know where to. Not right away. Does anyone know where Agent Barton and Romanoff are?"

Just then, the two walked into the cafeteria. "Here," Natasha said, leading Clint in, who followed close behind. "We were alerted that SHIELD was in the tower, got the briefing messages from Coulson, and made it here as quick as we could." The two were in uniform. Natasha had twin pistol thigh holsters on over her matte leather cat suit. Barton had a bow in hand, thigh quiver and an over the shoulder quiver. Natasha had insisted they be ready before they made it to the group, saying they couldn't know if they'd be needed right away. 

"Good. I'll send the briefing to you two. But what we need to focus on now is getting someplace safe. There's a safe house in Canada that's looking like our best bet right now," May said. The group noticed Natasha and Clint already in uniform and The Avengers unarmed resigned to the change in atmosphere. May could almost see the way the fog cleared and they all focused on her, determination in their own eyes. Pepper matched it closely, which impressed May. 

Barnes' eyes kept darting around the group and eventually settled on May, deciding she was the boss now. Steve held Bucky's hands a bit tighter, worried. He didn't want it to go like this...didn't want to submerse Bucky back into this atmosphere. He wanted to wrap him up in bubble wrap and keep him safe. Not This.

Natasha stepped to the front of the group, Clint in tow. "Melinda, we should break into groups. They'll expect is to be all together. Put the strongest off alone and the vulnerable under protection. See who they're going after here. We don't know wether Harley is the target or if they're using her to get to us. This way, we throw them off and test them to see who the real targets are. Even if it's all of us."

May nodded in agreement. "Yes. We will. Our safe house is large but splitting up is better. Any objections? Because if there are, it's probably too late." No one spoke up. "Good. Romanoff and Barton?"

"We'll go off together," Barton said, nodding. "We have a place."

May nodded in agreement. "Okay, go. Don't leave a trail, keep in touch." The two nodded, heading off in perfect sync. "Banner?" 

Bruce stepped up. "I have a place in South America I can head to now."

"Okay, stay in touch and try to stay...you until we give the say or it's in defensive measures. Got it?" He nodded. 

"Yeah, no letting the other guy out to play until necessary. Got it. I'll grab a few things and be out." Banner nodded, turning to Tony. "Stay safe, okay? Don't do anything you'd regret." He smiled lightly and clapped a hand on Harley's shoulder gently before heading off.

Harley swallowed hard, coming back to reality again, images of her home slipping from her mind as she came to focus. She watched Banner go, looking to May.

"Cap?" May looked to him. "Want us to set you up for a safe house?"

Steve took a deep breath, hands sliding to rest on Bucky's forearms before letting them fall. He sighed. "Normally, I'd say yes. But..." His eyes darted to Bucky. He couldn't be sure how Bucky'd handle it if they were attacked. Bucky had gone catatonic at a waiter dropping a dish bin at a restaurant. He could only imagine the break down if they were actually attacked. Or worse. If it triggered a reappearance of the Winter Soldier. He couldn't afford to lose all the progress they made. The bigger group, the safer Bucky would be. Bucky met Steve's gaze curiously. He looked away quickly, over to Tony, Pepper, and then Harley. "I would like to be on hand to help you guys."

"Look, Spangles-" Tony started. 

"No, Tony. Think about it. Why would they attack her family to get to us?" He gestured between him and Bucky. "They wouldn't. If they find you guys, I'd like ti be useful. Help protect her." The two stated at each other in silence for a moment. "Please." Tony sighed, nodding. 

"Alright, fine. So, Agent's Girlfriend, it's all of us to Canada. Give us time to pack?"

May nodded. "Alright. Pack light, one day outfit, one night outfit, and the bare necessities. Stark, bring a suit. Cap, bring your gear. Potts, Harley, Barnes, we can arm you on the bus if necessary. Just a warning, it's going to be just a bit cramped. Meet on the hanger in ten." She turned and stalked off. Damn. She was just as scary as Natasha, and Tony thought that wasn't possible. 

Steve lead a blank-faced Bucky off, concern written across his own features. He hated doing this to Bucky. He was going to make him safe. Now here he was, pulling him back into the field. And Harley... This was all so complicated. Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Tony turned to Pepper and Harley. Pepper looked some what scared, Harley looked...empty. Light barely present in her eyes. Tony's heart stung. This was the last thing he'd want for them. He put one hand on Pepper's shoulder and one on Harley's. "Okay, guys, do what she said. Be quick. I'll meet you at the Hanger. We're going to make it through this, I promise." Tony knew he couldn't guarantee it. But he would damn do everything in his power to protect these two. He offered a shaky smile and pressed a kiss to Pepper's cheek and she rushed off. He turned to Harley. "We'll work this out. We will. It doesn't seem like it now, but we will."

Harley smiled shakily and nodded, heading off. Tony headed to The Hall of Armor first, to pick a suit, deciding on the newest one. He grabbed the brief case armor (just in case). Then he rushed up to his room to get clothes, babbling orders to JARVIS to have the tower evacuated.

*

Harley made it up to her room, feeling oddly numb. She barely felt her bag when she slung it over her shoulder, barely felt her potato gun in her hand as she brought it to the top of the bag, and her knife when she attached it to her hip. All she could focus on was the fact that her parents were gone. But she knew she wasn't going to make it if she let it consume her. She rolled her shoulders, jaw locking as she put her hat on.

Harley had to stay alive for her parents, right? God, was this really her life now? But seriously. They wouldn't want her to get hurt. And right now? Harley wasn't safe. She knew it. As she walked to the elevator, she took deep, steady breaths. Alright, Keener, time to get out of here. She took the elevator up to the hanger, stepping out some sliding doors to the cold winter air. Tony and Pepper were waiting, Pepper chatting with Coulson. 

Tony was in one of his suits, helmet in one hand, briefcase in the other with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Pepper was changed into a more comfortable looking outfit than her fancy blazer-skirt she had on earlier. Steve and Bucky were off to the side. Bucky had a backpack on, holding the straps tightly. He hadn't changed other than a hat he wore now and combat boots to replace his sneakers. Steve wore camouflage military pants, the pixilated light green ones, combat boots, and a teeshirt with a leather jacket. Harley wondered absently why he wasn't wearing his Captain America outfit.

Steve offered a smile when he saw Harley looking which she surprised herself by smiling lightly in response to. Tony noticed next, walking up to her. "Hey, kid." His voice was soft, gentle. 

"Hey, old man." Her voice sounded a bit raspy, and she sighed. 

"Alright, everybody, time to board," Coulson announced, leading the way up a ramp to a large black aircraft. Steve put a hand on a suddenly very serious looking Bucky's shoulder, and the two followed Coulson. Pepper followed, Harley and Tony following behind. 

Harley was surprised by the interior of the jet. It was surprisingly...homey. Modernized, like the inside of the tower, but not at all like what she'd picture the inside of a jet or plane to look like. A girl with short brown hair was smiling at them as they boarded. She looked excitedly at the group who entered as the ramp closed. Another girl with shoulder length light brown hair and a warm smile stood next to her, with a curly haired nervous looking boy to her side. He tapped his side in a rhythm, eyes sliding over everyone and then looking at a fixed place on the floor.

Coulson sighed, relieved to be back inside his own place. He walked to stand next to his team. Usually Mack, Bobbi, Hunter, and maybe more would be with them, but they were needed back at base preparing for Hydra/AIM attacks and Coulson had a feeling they would need the spare space. "This is my team," He said, gesturing to the three. 

The short haired girl took the introduction initiative. "I'm Agent Daisy Johnson. You can call me Daisy. Nice to meet all of you." She smiled again, excitement in her eyes when she looked at the Avengers quickly dulling when she looked at Harley. Her eyes didn't fill with pity, instead she looked like...she understood.

Daisy did understand, in part. She'd lost her mother. And might as well have lost her father. But he wasn't dead. She knew it wasn't quite the same. 

"And I'm Agent Jemma Simmons, biochem. Most call me Simmons. And this is-" She gestured to the guy next to her, but he cut her off. 

"Agent Leo Fitz. Engineering." He stopped tapping his side, looking up only at Harley when he spoke and then away again. Trouble with eye contact, Harley noted. Plus the tapping. That was somewhat unusual. It seemed like everybody else here practically bleeds confidence. This Fitz guy seemed different. Good different. 

Tony took a step forward. "You know who we are, right? You were debriefed, or whatever you call it? Well, I know you know who Popsicle and I are. At the least."

"Introductions wouldn't hurt, but we do know who you are," Simmons said, smiling again. She seemed to smile a lot, and some how it would portray different emotions. Before it was happiness, now it seemed to show how awkward she felt. 

Harley took a small breath. "I'm Harley Keener."

"Pepper Potts." Pepper smiled.

"Steve Rogers."

"Bucky Barnes," Bucky said, looking at Fitz with curiosity. 

Tony made a gagging noise. "Thank god we got that crap out of the way." 

"I'm going to check on May. FitzSimmons, show Captain Rogers and Sargent Barnes around. Daisy, you show the others around. Got it?" The three nodded and Coulson went off to the cockpit. 

Daisy offered a small smile. "Follow me, guys." She lead the way off. Fitz and Simmons turned their attention to Steve and Bucky. 

"May I just say," Simmons began. "It is an honor to meet two of Americas most prominent heroes." She smiled widely at them.

"Yeah, it is," Fitz agreed. 

Bucky startled at that. He still wasn't used to it he fact some people considered him a hero. After being a weapon so long, it seemed strange. He blinked in surprise at the two. Steve smiled warmly. 

"Thank you very much. It's an honor to meet the great scientific minds Coulson put on his team. Bucky's always liked science, right, Buck?"

Bucky blinked in surprise at Steve now before nodding slowly. "Yes." Bucky looked up at the two. "Before I went off for service, we saw a flying car."

Steve looked at Bucky, that same smile back. The one he had reserved just for him. "You remember what happened though, Buck?"

He thought for a moment, remembering the temperate air. The darkening sky. Howard Stark. The sparking. His stomach twisted."It fell." He smiled shakily back.

Fitz looked up at Bucky from chewing on his thumb nail. "Well, then, Coulson should show you Lola. She flies." He paused for a moment, for effect. "And she's a car." 

Bucky looked at Fitz, perking with excitement. Simmons hummed contently. "Alright, we'll ask him later. I'm sure he'd be willing to let his heroes ride in her, but perhaps under different circumstances, when things dial down a bit. Shall we take out tour now?" 

"Yes, ma'am, lead the way," Steve said, and they headed off. 

*

After touring the bus, Steve and Bucky sat in the lounging area together, close enough their thighs touched. Pepper and Tony joined them when their tour was over, Harley opting to stay in the small room they provided for her for a bit, although she had to reassure Tony she'd be okay to let her go. She dropped her bag at the foot of the bed and sighed, sitting on the edge of the small mattress, thinking about the day so far, and thinking about what her life was becoming.

The speaker on the ceiling crackled, Agent May's voice coming through clearly. "We're headed off to Canada now. Arrival in five hours. Everybody get some rest, get ready for touchdown."

Harley swallowed, nodding to herself. At least she was safe. She took a deep breath, getting up and sliding the door open. They'd be worried. She should let them know she was alright. After a bit of walking, she found Tony sitting at a small bar. His head was ducked. She hefted herself up onto the stool next to him. He looked up, offering a half smile. 

"Hey, kid." 

She opened her mouth to return the greeting, puff of air escaping instead. She looked at him, vision suddenly blurring with tear. The dam she had put up to hold them back was cracking, and cracking fast. Tony's half smile melted. The tears overflowed and her lip shook.

"I'm s-sorry." Her breath hitched, sob slipping out. She slid off the stool. "I shouldn't have come out yet-"

Tony shook his head, slipping off the stool too. "No no no, Harley, you did the right thing." He stepped in front of her so she couldn't walk away and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back, one hand bracing the back of her head. Harley quickly hugged back, chocking out more sobs. Her whole body shook with the stinging burn in her chest, the throbbing. Like a pounding, tearing feeling where her heart should be. 

"You were right to come find somebody." She hiccuped and he held her tighter. "Shhh, I know, I know. I know what it feels like." Tony held her close, petting her hair. She let loose another sob. 

"Gone. They're gone. Mr. Stark, they're gone, and they're not comin' back." She buried her face in his shoulder, shaking her head.

"No, they're not." He mentally kicked himself at his bluntness and she nodded.

"Hurts so bad-" Her voice cracked, knees shaking as she held on to him tightly. 

It went on like that for a long time, he held on and she held on too. She cried, ugly sounding full body wracking sobs. Tony rubbed her back, knowing there wasn't much else he could do at the time and feeling extremely useless as she cried, knowing there was no way he'd fix it easily. God, he hated feeling useless.

His mind wandered to Steve and Bucky, thinking of how big a mess Bucky probably was, after all that Hydra crap. And in that moment, he knew what Cap must be feeling. 

Tony held her tight as he considered what to say. When the words came to him, Tony wanted to kick himself again because it should have been the first thing he thought to say. he took a deep breath. "Harley, I need you to listen to me for a second." He stepped back, hands on her shoulder and looking her dead in the eye. "I want you to know something."

She sniffled, wiping at her face and swallowing before meeting Tony's eyes. "What is it?"

"You're parents are gone, that's true. And I am so unbelievably sorry about that. I'd do anything I could in a heartbeat to get them back for you. But I can't. And I'm not going to tell you to let go of them. That's the last thing you should do. I'm not going to tell you to stop feeling for them either. They deserve you to feel for them. But listen to me, okay? You can't let this consume you. Can you promise me you won't let the pain of losing them consume you?" 

She sighed. "Why shouldn't I?" 

Tony smiled shakily. "Because this isn't the end. Because we need you out here in the land of the living, kid."

Harley let out a little laugh, sniffling again. "Okay."

"And another thing. About where you're going to stay when this is all over. I know I speak for Pepper too when I say we'd be honored to have you live with us in the tower, Harley. But you don't need to decide on that now. Think it over. And whatever you decide, know I'll back you, one hundred percent, kid. Because that's what old men like me are supposed to do." He smiled and Harley returned it, wiping her face once more. 

"Thank you. Really." She hugged Tony again and he hugged back, clapping a hand on her shoulders before they pulled back again. 

"Don't mention it. What can I do for you now, kid? Need anything?" 

Harley shook her head. "I'm alright. Let's go find the others, huh?" Tony nodded, and the two headed out to a living room like area, finding Steve, Bucky, Daisy, and FitzSimmons. 

They all sat in different places, Fitz and Simmons in a fast moving conversation about something, Daisy playing with her phone, Steve watching a Bucky chew the skin off the inside of his lip. Harley sat on the floor with Daisy, who smiled welcomingly. 

"Hey, Harley. So, Coulson tells me you're an engineer?" 

She smiled. "Well, not yet, but I'm on my way to it. I really do like inventing and tinkering." That got Fitz's attention, who started watching the two talk, timidly. Simmons noticed he was distracted and smiled warmly, nudging him towards the two. He looked at her, nervous glint in his eyes. She rolled her eyes and smiled, leading him over to sit next to Harley and Daisy. He never was the best at socializing.

"I have to go do some work in the lab. You guys won't mind if Fitz joins you, right?" The two shook their heads, smiling at him. He smiled back. Simmons grinned as she headed off. This will be good for him, she thought. Fitz could use a new friend. Tony sat in a chair across the little area they sat at. 

Steve watched Bucky, who was staring off into space. He kept clenching and unclenching his jaw which Steve had learned was his reaction to stress, chewing the skin off the inside of his lips or thumb nail skin. He wished for probably the millionth time for there to be something he could do.

Bucky was really worried. He tried to tell himself this wasn't something to be too worried about, but it wouldn't work. There were a lot of people. His metal arm kept locking at the elbow joint, and Tony Stark was here. Bucky always knew he'd have to meet the billionaire someday, he was Steve's friend after all. But he was still terrified. He had killed Tony's parents, for christ sake. And that's not just something people normally just forgive and forget. 

He found himself staring right at Tony and looked away quickly, back to Steve. Tony cleared his throat. 

"Cap, can I borrow you for a moment?" Tony said, looking at Bucky for a few moments more and then looking at Steve. Steve blinked in surprise, looking to Bucky.

"Uhhh, sure. Bucky? You gonna be okay?" Bucky looked at him, wanting to say no. To ask Steve not to leave him here with these strangers and a locked arm. But that wasn't what good boys do, that's what scared week boys do. So he took a little breath and nodded. Steve smiled and patter Bucky's hand before he lead the way off, Tony following closely. 

Once they were away from the others, they sat at the little bar together. "So, how's life with the Winter Snowflake, Spangles?" 

Steve furrowed his eyebrows at the nickname. "He's..." He thought for a moment. Bucky's his best friend. He takes a step back more often than he takes a step forward, sometimes. Bucky's getting better. So much better. And Steve loved him for it. But he regretted this whole trip. It was obviously taking a toll on his friend. "He's adjusting." 

Tony nodded slowly, as if considering what to say next. 

Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But, God, sometimes I wish he didn't have to adjust so much. He tries so hard, and he won't tell me if he needs help. Not until it's too late, anyway." He gritted his teeth. This was on Hydra. All of Bucky's hurt was on Hydra. It made Steve so damn mad sometimes.

Tony nodded again. "Yeah, I'll bet." The little assassin must be so fragile. Tony frowned. Like hell he was innocent as Steve was making him out to be. Just because Tony understood Steve's position sure as hell didn't mean he was about to accept a killer into their ranks. 

"What do you want, Tony? Why'd you call me out?"

"Well, it's about you. And Him."

Steve swallowed, nodding. Of course it was. "And what is it?"

"I need you to do something." 

"Yeah?"

"I know you think he's your friend or whatever you guys are, but. You can't forget what he went through." 

Steve huffed, standing up. "You think I could forget that?! That there's a single day I don't think about how different he is now? What they did to him? That all that programming could resurface at any moment?! God in heaven, what he must be going through-"

Tony stood up too, shaking his hands in a surrender gesture. "Steve, no. That's not what I mean. Well, it sort of is, but-"

Steve made a guttural irritated sound, still staying somewhat quiet incase Bucky could hear. He stepped closer to Tony, getting in his face. "What then, Tony? What exactly did you mean?" 

"I meant be careful, okay?! Both of you." He stepped back, crossing his arms, clearly uncomfortable. 

Steve blinked in surprise. "What?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Be. Careful. Last thing we need right now is Hydra getting hold of any of us, if it turns out to be them behind all of this. And let me tell you, AIM isn't a walk in the park either." 

Steve nodded slowly. "Well...okay. Thank you, Tony. We'll be careful." 

Tony nodded and the two looked at each other for a moment before Steve awkwardly cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go check on Bucky."

"I'm gonna go check on Harley." 

The two headed back to the other room. Daisy, Fitz, and Harley sat on the floor talking about some new movie while Bucky was pulling on his locked arm in a way he hoped was subtle.

But it hurt to pull on it. But he was scared. He didn't want it stuck. Stuck meant repairs. Repairs meant the doctors. Meant the chair. Maybe even meant Pierce coming in. God, those were the worst. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Bucky knew that wouldn't happen. He wasn't with Hydra anymore. Steve said Pierce was dead. But in that moment he couldn't focus on it and that didn't stop him from panicking as he tried pushing the forearm down, and elbow on his thigh. But that just pulled his shoulder forward which hurt when he tried to pull away. 

Steve's eyes widened when he saw, hurrying over to Bucky. This wouldn't be the first time Bucky tried to rip off his arm when he had what Sam called an anxiety attack. He put his hands on Bucky's right hand, pulling it back gently and kneeling in front of him. The whole room went silent, eyes turning to Bucky. Steve didn't care, his main focus on Bucky. 

"Hey, hey. What's going on, Buck? Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself-" If the light sheen of sweat and watering in Bucky's eyes were anything to go off, it did hurt. "What is it, sweet--Bucky?"

Bucky sniffled. Why didn't Steve call him sweetheart like he normally would? Because you're being bad, a voice whispered in his mind. He held up his stuck arm, swallowing. "It's jammed."

Steve's heart hurt. Bucky was looking at him with eyes swimming in tears, lip quivering a bit. 

Bucky mistook Steve's silence for something else. "Don't be mad-"

Steve shook his head. "No, no. I'm not mad, Bucky. I'm just sad that it's hurting you." Sam said it'd be hard for Bucky to distinguish emotions a lot, and he was right. Bucky always seemed to have an underlying fear someone was mad at him these days. He whipped at his eyes with his sleeve. Tony stepped forward. 

"Uh, is it the arm? I am a genius with mechanics so I could totally repair it-" He tried, but Bucky's eyes widened and he shook his head, folding in on himself. 

"No! No. It's fine, I'm fine," Bucky rushed out. Steve realized how scared he was of Tony. He stood up, placing himself between Bucky and Tony like a shield. 

"That's not the best idea, Tony-" 

"-Jesus, it's not like I'm unreliable-"

"-He doesn't want-"

"-How is he supposed to-"

"-That's not your place to-"

"-But I could-"

Harley cleared her throat. "Uhm, guys? You know there's other engineers on this plane, right?"

That shut them up. They turned to look at her, frowning and irritated looking. Harley rolled her eyes, standing up. "There's Fitz and then there's me, by the way, hi." 

Fitz stood up quickly. The last thin he wanted was to piss off Tony Stark or Steve Rogers. Or cause Bucky Barnes further distress. "I-It's-I don't know-"

Daisy stood up too. "Hey, of course you do, Fitz. Don't clam up on us now. Bucky needs your help, guys. Right, Bucky?" He looked up at her, eyes wide, his mouth opened as if to say something, but quickly closed again. "And I doubt he wants to see us all fighting at least, right?" Bucky nodded slowly at that, perfect poker face again as he pulled on his locked arm again. 

Tony made a face."We weren't fighting, per say-" 

Pepper walked in, up to stand next to him. "Quiet, Tony. It doesn't matter what you were up to. This is about what James needs." 

Steve walked close to Bucky again. "Hey, Bucky. What do you want to do?"

Bucky was silent for a moment, looking at Steve. He searched his face as he contemplated an answer. Even after all the time that passed, he still was no where near used to that question. It would trip him up, confuse him. Hydra would ask that question, expecting a single answer. They expected to hear that he wanted nothing more than to serve them. But that's not the answer Steve wanted. He knew that much. 

"I... Can Harley and Fitz fix my arm?" He frowned at the hesitation in his own words. That meant weakness.

Steve got that really sad look in his eyes. "I bet they could. But is that what you want them to do?" 

Bucky looked over to Fitz and Harley. They both offered small smiles. And, hey, they didn't seem too bad. Besides, he can't defend Steve or anyone else for that matter with his arm like this. He away and nodded. 

Harley broke out a grin. "Great!" 

Fitz nodded, voice somehow gentle but not condescending when he spoke. "If you would just come with us to the lab, we could check it out?" 

Bucky looked at Steve again. "Are you going to come with me?" 

"Do you want me to?"

Bucky took a deep breath before shaking his head. He really needed to stop being so codependent all the time. "I'll go by myself." He stood up, tilting his chin back and rocking back on his heels. He turned his attention to the two younger engineers. "Lead the way." 

Fitz started off towards the lab, Harley following. Bucky took one more glance at Steve, waving goodbye with his good hand, subtly. Steve waved back, chewing on his lip and choking up with pride. He could tell Bucky was trying to be brave. But even the fact he was trying to was more than enough. 

Once Fitz made it to the lab, Simmons looked up in surprise. "Oh! Fitz! And Harley and Sargent Barnes!" She put down a beaker she was working on and pushed back her protective eye glasses. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Bucky's arm got jammed, Jem, and Harley and I are going to take a look at it," Fitz said.

She blinked in surprise. Fitz usually would do anything to only work with Simmons, and the fact he was willingly going to work with someone else surprised her. She beamed. "Oh, is that so? Well, I'll leave you to it! If you need anything, just give a call." 

Fitz nodded and Harley waved goodbye. Fitz headed over to a table, sliding a hand across the air above it. Just like that, it began to glow a pale blue.

Harley smiled lightly. "No way. Is this a holographic table?" 

Fitz nodded, small smile of his own. "Yes, it is. Try to save your fangirling for later."

Harley chuckled. 

Fitz let out a little laugh of his own before smiling up at Bucky. "Okay, so, this shouldn't be too hard. We're going to explain everything we do as we go, yeah? I know I needed people to do that for me. Still do like it. You'll be informed what we're going to do before we do it. Right, Harley?" 

Harley nodded. "Yeah, of course! And if anything feels uncomfortable or we do something you don't like, speak up and we'll start."

"So, let's start by scanning it. If you could just place your arm above the table, we can get started." 

They were nice. They were going to ask first. No one ever asked first, except Steve. It was...really new. He smiled a small wobbly smile and stepped forwards, holding it over the table as they asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah! Hope you enjoyed. Comment your thoughts! 
> 
> Check me out on tumblr at www.iiironman.tumblr.com


	7. Pleased as Punch

Steve took the spare time alone to call Sam as Coulson requested. That itself seemed like a huge feat. As far as Steve knew, you weren't supposed to use phones on planes. But Daisy had said it'd be fine, and he trusted her. He'd been meaning to call him anyway. 

Sam answered on the third ring. "Hey, Steve. How're you doing?"

"I'm alright, on my way to a safe house. Well, that's kind of what I'm calling about. I'm on my way to Canada with Bucky, Tony, Pepper, Harley, and a plane of agents. I hate to do this to ya, Sam, but you need to get yourself somewhere safe. Agent Coulson will be sending you plane tickets and coordinates to a safe house. You have to leave immediately." Steve felt horrible, hist dumping it on him like that. 

"Woah woah woah. Hold up. Back it up, Rogers. What happened? Who's Harley?" 

"Harley is Tony's friend. Sort of."

Sam sighed, getting up to start putting together a bag. "I'm getting ready now, but you gotta do me an explanation better than that."

Steve sighed, launching into a recount of everything that had happened. Sam listened, making little sounds now and then to confirm he was still there. It was a pretty long story, after all.

"So let me get this straight," He said when Steve was finished. "Hydra and those AIM nut jobs are working together and trying to get at the kid and possibly preparing to wage a full scale attack on Avengers? So you're all splitting up for safe houses?"

"Yeah, that's basically it." 

"How's Harley doing? She's just a kid. It's a damn shame."

"She's soldiering through. Heard her crying real bad earlier. But she'll be safe when we get to Canada, apparently."

"Man, your life doesn't stay normal for long, huh?" He could hear the smile in Sams voice. 

"Not really, huh?" He chuckled lightly, looking out the plane window at the clouds. 

"How's he taking it?" Sam didn't have to elaborate, Steve knew he meant Bucky.

"He's...well. He seems okay as of now, really? Nervous, quiet, but seems okay. But we know that doesn't necessarily mean...you know."  
Sam hummed in agreement. "Keep an eye on him, yeah? I mean, we know Bucky is a huge trooper, but it's not really to his benefit all the time."

Steve nodded, mind wandering to how Bucky was doing in the lab they brought him off too. There was no screaming yet, nothing bad.. "Oh, that reminds me. He shocked the hell out of me, Sam."

"Yeah? He does that a lot. What happened this time?" 

"His arm got jammed, and he didn't want Tony to fix it. I think he's scared of him. But anyway, Harley and one of the agents on the plane, Fitz, are engineers. So they offered to help. He's letting them, right now."

"Yeah? You don't usually talk on the phone in front of him..?"

"That's exactly it. He went off with them alone. God, I'm so proud."

Sam chucked. "That's- wow. That's incredible, a big step considering the seperation anxiety and attachment he's shown..I'm really glad, man." There was a beeping noise on the other end. "Looks like thats the stuff Coulson was sending. I'm going to be on my way now, Steve. Stay safe, keep an eye on Bucky. Take care of yourself."

"You too." Steve smiled and the line clicked off. He relaxed a bit, before nerves pumped back in. Was he okay? Steve sighed, shooting up a quick prayer to God to be careful of Bucky.

 

*

 

Fixing Bucky's arm was easier than expected. And man, was it interesting. The tech for it was decades ahead of what most could pull off today. Harley and Fitz babbled about tech like it and manipulators, how todays prosthetic tech was just barely getting at this beauty. Bucky had listened with interest. Fitz said even Coulson's hand was behind this tech as they were closing the arm back up and Bucky's death grip on the chair they'd pulled up for him loosened. That amazed Harley and piqued an interest in Bucky. 

"He has a hand? Like mine?" His eyebrows were raised in surprise.

"Yeah, if your arm was 30 models earlier." Fitz smiled and Bucky smiled back, standing up. For the first time in...probably forever he actually had a little spark of pride directed at his metal arm. 

"Does that feel okay?" Harley asked, pointing to the arm. Bucky flexed it, bending and unbending. No pain, zero resistance. Tip top fighting shape again. He nodded.

The two engineers smiled. "Okay, so that leaves one more question. Do you want the scan to stay confidential or..?" Fitz asked. Bucky hesitated to answer. "I'm just saying, because there seemed to be a little tension between Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers over your arm out there. So we could save it here and keep it in a locked file, or erase it. And given your reluctance to let us scan it..?"

"You can save it. Just in case. But, uh, only let Steve see it. Nobody else." 

Fitz nodded, typing something in on a keyboard on the table, scan that was previously floating disappearing. "Ta-da."

Bucky smiled. "Thank you. Both of you." 

"You're welcome," Fitz said. 

"Yeah, you're welcome," Said a tired looking Harley. Bucky understood that. He got tired sometimes. 

"Should we go back out?"

Fitz nodded, gesturing for Bucky to lead the way. He did so, walking back out to find Steve sitting in the same place they had been earlier, tense and bouncing his knee nervously. Something about that position reminded Bucky of himself. Sitting outside a building. A doctors office. Waiting on Steve. That's right. He smiled, waving with the metal hand at Steve. Both a greeting and a demonstration that it was all better. Steve stood up, beaming. Bucky grinned back and made a show of flexing his arm.

"All fixed up." The smile didn't fall from his lips and Steve almost wanted to cry. 

"And you're pleased as punch too, huh? How'd it go, Buck?"

"Good. Harley and Fitz are really smart. Real aces at what they do. Plus they're nice."

Steve's heart melted and he clapped a hand on Bucky's shoulder, looking over to Fitz and Harley. "Thank you, guys." 

The two smiled. 

"No trouble at all," Fitz said. 

Harley nodded. "Yeah, really, it was an honor. Now, if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna head off and try to get in a nap before we get to Canada. That okay?"

Everyone nodded, including Tony who had just walked in to hear that. 

"Get some rest, kid," he said. Harley hummed and gave a lazy salute before heading off to the little room again. She flopped on the bed, curling in on herself. She still felt that sadness curled up in her rib cage, but mostly? She was tired. Crying always made her tired like this, so it wasn't long before her eyes fell shut. 

 

*

 

\--LOCATION: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma--

Clint and Natasha went to one of their safe houses. It was a small renters apartment, well used by a few other agents too. Two beds that they pushed together on arrival, as that was their tradition. A tiny kitchen with a table for two and a just as tiny bathroom. Clint went in to shower a little after they settled in. Natasha sat on the bed, watching the news reel and thinking of Harley.

She pretty much didn't even know the girl, but her heart ached. Natasha had never had a family of her own like she had. And that alone broke her heart. She had speculated a lot in her years at the red room. Secretly. She was told she was an orphan. That no one wanted her. But, part of her dared to hope she had parents out there. That they missed her just like she missed the idea of them. That they would come, save her from this hell. 

Until she was seven years old, she clung to the fantom limb hope of parents who needed her. But she made the mistake of telling another girl about this. She told a young Natalia that she was probably right in that hope. But somehow, as they always did, the handlers found out. The next morning, her handlers had her kill the girl. To strangle her, watch the life go out of her eyes. The message had been clear, back then. Hope wasn't something she could afford, and since they valued her too much, they wouldn't kill her. 

Instead, they'd make her kill. Make her watch light disappear. It was gone for a very, very long time after that. Briefly, she was reminded of what it was like with the Winter Soldier. Despite the reputation he had around the red room, when he trained her privately, he showed he cared. Some part of him did. But then they found out. And they took him away. God, the things they did to Bucky, the things they did to her...

Her heart ached a lot, for Harley. She could barely fathom what it must be like to have all she ever dreamed of ripped away like that. It probably was better to never have then to have and lost, as opposite to the quote. As she stared blankly at the news, she sighed. More bad things happening, more people dying. Nothing new. The world was broken like that.

Then, just like he always did, Clint Barton zigged while she was zagging. She heard it softly at first. A quiet, tentative start. He was humming. A melody she didn't know, but beautiful none the less. Quick, fluttering notes. Then, he began to sing. 

Natasha knew he sang in the shower, of course. After so many missions, she had learned every tone his voice would make. There was two things his songs always had in common: being a badass (his classic rock) or hope (usually songs she didn't know). But then again, she had no explanation for the occasional show tune that crop up where he'd be almost tripping over words to get all the parts out. 

His voice was beautiful, in an unconventional way. She got up, going to sit on the floor next to the bathroom door and listen to his deep voice fly over the notes. She closed her eyes and breathed. 

Clint knew she would be out there, that she'd be listening. But she needed these words. Needed something to hold onto. Missions with kids always hurt her. And she didn't like him getting sappy on her when they were in mission mode, so he sang in the shower. It was like...pouring out his thoughts with his eyes closed in a safe, warm room. It was great. And he knew it would help her, too. So he closed his eyes, let the hot water run down his back, and started another song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the brevity! Very busy with school lately. Have a nice day/night/whatever.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment your thoughts. Hope you enjoy! Check me out on tumblr at www.iiironman.tumblr.com
> 
> Have a nice day/night/life!


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